Inside China’s Digital-Intelligent PLA Information Force
A base of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Information Support Force (ISF) is spearheading a sweeping digital transformation, working to forge what Chinese state media describes as a reliable and efficient “digital-intelligent” force (数智新军). A detailed investigation published on June 4, 2026, by People’s Daily and the PLA Daily offers an unprecedented look inside the unit’s efforts to integrate cutting-edge network and information technologies into military operations.
Background: A New Force for a New Era
The ISF was formally established on April 19, 2024, replacing the former Strategic Support Force (SSF) as part of a major PLA restructuring. Reporting directly to the Central Military Commission (CMC), the ISF is described by Chinese officials as “a brand-new strategic arm” tasked with coordinating the military’s network information systems. As Breaking Defense noted, the restructuring suggests the PLA is “a learning organization, willing to take risks and innovate.”
The specific base profiled in the report was formally established in June 2024, becoming a cornerstone for building the military’s network-information architecture. Its predecessor unit dates back to 1940, when it operated just eight radio stations forming strategic communication networks centered on Yan’an during the Anti-Japanese War.
Digital Transformation in Action
According to the investigation, the base is pursuing a multi-pronged digital modernization strategy. Key initiatives include building a “physically distributed, logically integrated” cloud platform, unifying data standards and terminal interfaces, and implementing automated information collection with intelligent product generation.
The results have been tangible. Engineer Xu, a ship-based support specialist, reduced combat data loading times for naval vessels by more than 50% through cache optimization. During one exercise, a naval commander told Xu: “You’ve installed an accelerator for the command system.” The technology has since been promoted to multiple PLA units, resolving nearly 100 system lag and stuttering issues.
Breaking Down Silos
A central challenge highlighted in the report is overcoming institutional resistance to data sharing. “In building and using networks, the greatest fear is each unit fighting its own battle alone,” base leadership stated, as reported by PLA Daily.
The base promoted a “shared construction, shared use, shared benefits” philosophy, convincing reluctant units to integrate their systems. When one unit resisted changing network interfaces over compatibility concerns, the base formed a dedicated team that spent three months standardizing node interfaces and developing adapter plugins, ultimately enabling cross-unit data flow.
Cultural Shift: From Stability to Innovation
The report emphasizes a fundamental cultural transformation within the force. Staff Officer Li, who proposed transitioning from manual to automated and intelligent data processing, faced internal resistance from those who preferred traditional methods. “The ‘stability’ we gain today by clinging to outdated methods may bring fatal ‘loss’ on the battlefield tomorrow,” Li argued.
Base leadership reinforced this shift, stating: “In construction and innovation, we must aim at winning wars — this is the correct view of performance.” The unit implemented a “work order processing” model with strict evaluation criteria focused on whether products meet unit needs and whether tasks benefit combat readiness.
Strategic Implications
The ISF’s digital-intelligent transformation directly supports the PLA’s 2027 modernization goal of becoming “fully mechanized, fully informationized, and fully intelligence-ized.” President Xi Jinping inspected the ISF in December 2024, calling for “building a strong modern information support force” and achieving “leapfrog development of the military’s network information system,” according to China’s government website.
International analysts have noted the broader significance. As China Daily Brief observed, the ISF represents “a tactical pivot by the CCP to ensure direct oversight of the ‘central nervous system’ of modern warfare,” where “technical dominance is inseparable from political control.”
What to Watch
The base’s model of cloud platforms, unified data standards, and automated processing is likely to be replicated across other PLA units as the 2027 deadline approaches. A more digitally integrated PLA with faster data processing and decision-making cycles could alter military balances in the Indo-Pacific region, particularly in scenarios involving Taiwan or South China Sea contingencies. Key questions remain about the division of labor between the ISF, Network Space Force, and Military Aerospace Force — and how these new branches will coordinate in practice.