How does a military project combat power beyond its own borders? And what challenges arise when that force must cross water, establish a foothold, and sustain operations on an island?
China’s Force Projection Capabilities | Large and Small Island Operations examines the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), China’s military modernization, and the doctrine behind small- and large-island seizure operations.
Created by 29 Pixel Studios as part of our work supporting Army University Press, the documentary explores China’s strategic worldview, military organization, and developing ability to conduct operations beyond the Chinese mainland.
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Understanding the Pacific Strategic Environment
The documentary begins with an overview of U.S. Pacific Command (USPACOM) and the strategic environment in which China’s military operates.
The Pacific presents unique military challenges. Its geography includes enormous maritime distances, strategically important islands, and areas where military operations require coordination between land, sea, and air forces.
Understanding this environment provides a foundation for examining China’s military priorities and the importance of force projection.
The film also explores China’s worldview and the historical influences shaping its strategic outlook.
China’s Military Modernization
The People’s Liberation Army has undergone significant modernization as China has expanded its military capabilities.
The documentary examines the PLA’s history, organization, and the size and scope of its forces.
Military modernization involves more than acquiring new equipment. It also requires developing the organization, doctrine, training, and capabilities necessary to employ military forces effectively.
These developments provide important context for understanding China’s growing ability to conduct military operations beyond its mainland.
What Is Military Force Projection?
Force projection is the ability to deploy and employ military power beyond a country’s immediate territory.
For operations involving islands, this creates a complex set of military challenges.
Forces must be transported to an objective, supported during movement, and organized to conduct operations after arrival.
Amphibious operations require careful coordination between different military capabilities, especially when landing forces may encounter resistance.
China’s Force Projection Capabilities examines these challenges through the lens of Chinese military doctrine and the PLA’s developing operational capabilities.
Small- and Large-Island Seizure Operations
A central focus of the documentary is the PLA’s doctrine for conducting operations against islands of different sizes.
Small- and large-island operations present different considerations involving geography, available forces, transportation, objectives, and sustainment.
The film discusses Chinese military doctrine for island seizure and examines the phases of amphibious landing operations.
These subjects are particularly relevant to understanding military planning in the Pacific, where maritime geography plays a central role in regional security.
From Military Modernization to Operational Capability
One of the most important distinctions in military analysis is the difference between possessing military equipment and being able to employ it effectively in complex operations.
Amphibious operations illustrate that challenge.
Transporting forces across water, coordinating their arrival, establishing control of an objective, and maintaining operations afterward all require planning and coordination.
By examining Chinese military doctrine alongside the PLA’s modernization, the documentary offers viewers a more detailed understanding of what force projection involves.
Part of Our Global Military Powers Collection
This documentary is the second release in our Global Military Powers collection.
The preceding film, Near Peer: China | Understanding the Chinese Military, provides a broader introduction to Chinese military history, doctrine, and modernization.
China’s Force Projection Capabilities builds on that foundation by examining a specific area of military capability: projecting power across maritime distances.
The collection also features documentaries examining Russia, Iran, North Korea, and the first year of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Explore the complete collection:
Creating China’s Force Projection Capabilities
29 Pixel Studios helped create China’s Force Projection Capabilities | Large and Small Island Operations as part of our work supporting the U.S. Army’s Army University Press.
Our relationship with Army University Press began in 2018. Since then, our team has helped create more than 50 films exploring military history, leadership, doctrine, and the experiences of soldiers.
Projects like this demonstrate the importance of visual storytelling when explaining complicated subjects.
Documentary production, research, motion graphics, animation, maps, and visual communication can help audiences better understand military organizations, geography, and operational concepts.
We’re proud to make this film available again through the 29 Pixel Studios YouTube channel.
Watch China’s Force Projection Capabilities
Watch the complete documentary:
China’s Force Projection Capabilities | Large and Small Island Operations
Original Army University Press release:
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