China needs to accelerate plans to mobilize civilian ships for military operations, drawing lessons from Britain’s use of commercial vessels during the 1982 Falklands War, according to a researcher at Beijing’s top economic planning agency.
The recommendation comes as China expands its naval capabilities and faces growing competition with other major powers. In an article published last month in Defence Industry Conversion in China, Chinese analyst Li Jin argued that civilian vessels could play a larger role in supporting military operations during a conflict.
The proposal is seen as a part of a broader push to integrate China’s civilian maritime infrastructure into national defense planning, particularly as Beijing’s security and economic interests increasingly extend across the world’s oceans.
Valuable lessons from the Falklands War
Li pointed to Britain’s experience during the Falklands conflict as an example of how a large commercial fleet can provide valuable support during wartime. Britain mobilized dozens of civilian vessels within days of the outbreak of the war, using commercial ships to transport aircraft, fuel and other supplies. Civilian vessels were also used for medical and logistical support missions during the campaign.
According to the Chinese expert, the experience demonstrated the importance of having a large pool of civilian ships that can be rapidly mobilized when needed. In his article, Li argued that effective wartime mobilization depends not only on the number of available vessels, but also on detailed preparation before a conflict begins.
That includes designing ships with potential military requirements in mind, establishing clear mobilization procedures and creating compensation and incentive systems for civilian operators.
For China, which has one of the world’s largest commercial shipping fleets, such preparations could give the military access to a much larger pool of transport and support vessels during a major crisis.
Beijing urged to map its civilian fleet
Li called for China to conduct a comprehensive survey of its civilian maritime fleet and create a detailed database of vessels that could have military applications. The database would include information such as a ship’s speed, carrying capacity, ownership and crew qualifications. Particular attention should be given to vessels that could provide specialized support, including oil tankers and semi-submersible ships.
The article also called for detailed mobilization plans covering command structures, communications and procedures for dealing with unexpected situations. Such planning would determine which ships should be called up and how they would be integrated into military operations.
Using civilian ships would give Beijing access to additional logistics capacity without requiring the military to maintain a much larger fleet of specialized support vessels during peacetime. However, mobilizing commercial ships during a conflict would also create challenges, including crew availability, insurance, compensation, command integration and the vulnerability of civilian vessels operating in contested waters.
For China, building the infrastructure to quickly identify, mobilize and integrate suitable commercial vessels could therefore become another component of its preparations for a potential maritime conflict.