PLA Army Command College Reshapes Officer Training for Unmanned and Intelligent Warfare

The People's Liberation Army (PLA) Army Command College has updated its intermediate command training curriculum to integrate unmanned systems and intelligent warfare. According to reports from China Military Online and People's Daily, the academy incorporates unmanned equipment employment, intelligent command coordination, and advanced simulation platforms into its core coursework. Grounded in Xi Jinping's directives on developing integrated strategic capabilities in emerging domains, the pedagogical overhaul aims to connect theoretical research directly to field operations, focusing on human-machine teaming and joint battlefield requirements against technologically advanced adversaries.

The reform illustrates how the PLA is operationalizing its doctrine of intelligentized warfare within professional military education. By training mid-level officers in human-machine collaboration and data-enabled command before they return to operational units, the PLA is attempting to accelerate the adoption of autonomous and uncrewed systems from experimental doctrine into standard ground force tactics.

The People's Liberation Army (PLA) Army Command College has restructured its intermediate command curriculum to focus on unmanned systems, artificial intelligence, and human-machine integration, according to reports published by China Military Online and People's Daily. During recent training sessions for mid-level commanders, coursework centered on debates over the evolving role of uncrewed platforms in future combat and the division of responsibility between human decision-makers and algorithmic systems. Instructors guided these discussions using strategic directives from official ideological texts, specifically focusing on expanding integrated strategic capabilities in emerging domains. According to academy leadership, the institution has made studying and implementing Xi Jinping's military thought a long-term strategic task, utilizing it to guide instructional reform. The college has focused its research and teaching on key operational challenges summarized as 'deepening joint operations, targeting strong adversaries, and integrating intelligence.' To adapt to technological shifts reshaping warfare, the academy incorporated advanced combat doctrines and high-tech weaponry directly into its primary courses. The revised syllabus integrates uncrewed equipment employment and intelligent command coordination into operational exercises. Cadets conduct immersive training using intelligent simulation platforms, designed to link classroom instruction with field training and projected battlefield conditions. State media highlighted practical applications of this training in operational units. Following graduation, one academy alumnus reportedly developed an integrated training method during a group army uncrewed force demonstration. The approach emphasized small-group coordination, realistic force-on-force confrontation, network-information system architecture, and data-intelligence support to facilitate human-machine integration. Academy leadership indicated that the institution plans to continually adjust its curricula to match operational requirements from active-duty units, citing the need to closely track changes in technology, warfare, and potential adversaries.