New! @NavalWarCollege/@ChinaMaritime Report #59—“Be Focused, Be Humble, Be Happy: Career Progression, Organization & Training of PLAN Submariners” digital-commons.usnwc.edu/cm… From CMSI Director @ChrisHSharman, @USNavy (Ret.)— #China #Navy Watchers: What are the career tracks aboard Chinese Navy submarines? How do #submarine crews train? And what are the dynamics between a sub’s Commanding Officer & the Political Commissar? CMSI’s latest CMR tackles these ?s & more. Authored by Rear Admiral (Ret.) Phil Yu & Benjamin Rosen, this report dives deep (pun intended) into the human factors that shape China’s sub force, an aspect of the PLAN that receives far less attention than its platforms & capabilities. China’s diverse sub fleet & increasingly ambitious ops demand a hi degree of tech expertise & professional competence. Yet while sub hulls, weapons & capabilities frequently dominate analysis, far less is known about the crews who operate these platforms & the personnel systems that support them. This CMR breaks new ground by examining the career progression, org structure & training of PLAN submariners. It explores how the sub force develops its officers & NCOs, how different career tracks support increasingly complex ops & how the PLAN is adapting its workforce to meet evolving technological & op demands. The report also examines the role of the Party Committee & the relationship between the Commanding Officer & Political Commissar, including efforts to improve political officers’ op expertise. It maps career benchmarks for sub officers, assesses promotion opportunities for equipment & special tech officers & highlights the increasingly important role of NCOs in the sub force. For those seeking to understand not just what China’s subs can do, but how the PLAN develops, organizes & leads the people who operate them, CMR No. 59 is essential reading. Main Findings •Led by the political commissar w/ the commanding officer serving as deputy, party committees are responsible for major decision-making, maintaining party control, training & general leadership aboard PLAN subs. While Chinese sources extoll this collective leadership model, it is unclear how this command structure influences decision-making efficacy in practice. •PLAN political officers play a critical role in the leadership & decision making on PLAN subs, but reportedly lack understanding of sub ops. Despite attempts to improve the operational competency of political officers, this likely remains a problem for the PLAN sub force. •The diverse PLAN submarine fleet & its increasingly ambitious operations require a hi degree of technical competency w/in the submarine force. Recent reforms to the career structure of tech officers can be seen as efforts to retain increasingly needed technical expertise in the PLA, in part to meet this requirement. •According to PLA media reporting, the PLAN has made progress in expanding educational & career opportunities for NCOs, while enhancing their professionalization & tech competence w/ updated policies aimed at recruiting more college educated NCOs. •PLAN subs’ apparent lack of a dedicated “supply department” may pose challenges to the sub force’s ability to become a true “far seas protection” force. The PLAN is attempting to address this via tech investments at Shore Service Departments. •The US sub force uses lessons learned from incidents & accidents not only to enhance ops but also as a training tool. In contrast, the PLA treats accidents & near misses primarily as opportunities to promote the importance of political commissars in military decision-making, while prioritizing party loyalty & propaganda value over genuine learning. While public discussions in Chinese media about sub accidents & incidents are scarce, those that do exist reveal a clear focus on using such events for political messaging. •The PLAN sub force has invested in simulators & training systems to enable its crews to exercise op……