Help with Modern PLA Platoon structure

[Agis]

Maybe something like Clancy's work?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Threat_Vector_(novel)

[Brummie]

And what could be a good scenario to use with the PLA forces? We have the figures, but we need a war now!

Plenty! Aside from the obvious Americans, there is the Russians (and you could use practically all and every piece of kit Russia has used for a Siberian campaign) you could use Taliban/Afghans, as the Chinese have large amounts of troops in Pakistan and are fighting a growing insurgency in Xinjiang, probably even do them invading Afghanistan/Tajikistan etc to stem the flow of weapons into Xinjiang province.

Could have them in the Sudan, Somalia, maybe even Middle East as their influence expands later into the decade.

[commissarmoody]

As Brummie and Agis said, all of the above are great locations for possible PLA action. And what's to stop you from having a hot skirmish on the Indian or Vietnamese border?

[Elbows]

Uses for the PLA are...tremendously varied, but as mentioned - all routed in hypothetical situations.

Currently the Chinese military is in massive-growth mode.  They're pushing a couple of destroyers/frigates out each month, recently completed their first carrier (refurbed Russian model), and are constantly causing trouble with territorial water claims - mainly with their weaker neighbors.  They still have significant beef with the Japanese over some island claims (currently in the news, and the subject of a recent video game).

If you watch the Australian version of Red Dawn ("Tomorrow when the war began" or something) you'll see China invading Australia...

One thing that's pretty important is that China wants to be a bigger international power.  They want their currency to be powerful (would love if nations changed from the dollar to Chinese currency - yuan?).  They want to be more heavily involved in international efforts (shocked the world when a Chinese vessel showed up off the coast of Libya a couple years ago).  They essentially want to be a huge player like Russia and the US.  They want countries to go to China for weapons and arms.  They want to be more politically powerful.  They're buying up loads of industry in Africa, etc. (heck, buying up lots of stuff in Australia too).

China is responsible for something like 70% of the rebuilding work going on in Afghanistan right now.  Wherever there is a project or product in demand, China is taking a swing at it.

All of this means you have TONS of potential (albeit possibly unrealistic) opportunities for the PLA to be in combat.

-Japanese, Taiwanese, Phillipine territorial disputes...
-Invading Australia or New Zealand?
-Chinese maritime forces against pirates?
-Chinese "peace keepers" involved in an African conflict
-China officially invading Taiwan
-Any number of small island disputes around their homeland (China refuses to acknowledge international water legislation and essentially has claimed almost half the hemisphere as China's own territory)
-China and Pakistan/India?
-China vs. Japan (obviously backed up by NATO)
-Chinese forces against internal security in China when the war starts (laying siege to embassies etc.)
-China joining and financially backing a random Middle East country against NATO intervention?
-Natural disaster relief efforts becomes sneaky invasion? (ie. Chinese volunteer forces go to help Japan or Phillipines post-massive earthquake or tsunami - but end up using it to mask a large invasion force?)

Lots of ideas here. 

[Juan]

Interesting the siege to an embassy...

I am reading a lot about this question, and I like the idea of a Chinese military intervention in Afghanistan (in this way, I have already a third of the figures...).


But the idea of the embassy is very interesting...

[Almost Fearless]

Personally I'm going for the hugely unrealistic Red Dawn scenario, having Chinese forces invade the US west coast.

That's really a convenience for me as I already have appropriate terrain, and models for US police, which might make an appearance.

Since I'm going to use Force on Force, I'm planning to have the Wolverines pop up for some asymmetric engagements later on as well. This will all be very silly, but hopefully fun!

[Elbows]

That could be very cool.  Who cares if it's realistic?  You can always pretend that in 10 years time our economy has completely flat-lined (and China steps into the power void) etc.

[Almost Fearless]

I was actually trying to figure out, never mind that it doesn't make much sense for China to try, how close they might be able to get to invading the US. I was pondering some idea of weaponry, armour, etc being hidden in cargo ships, and the actual invasion (with dropping paratroopers, of course!) being timed to their arrival.

Possibly some assumption that more hard-line communists have come to power in China and they want a conflict with the West to prop up their own government, as well.

But you're right, I mainly just want to do it because it would look cool on the tabletop!

[commissarmoody]

Not even close .
That is why they are spending all that capital trying to build an actually navy over the past few years.
Now There sub fleet is a different matter altogether. They could in theory get close enough to shell the US.
But as it stands at the moment there best bet, is that say. They make a go for Taiwan, is to make the sea and air to hazardous for American reinforcements to arrive.
The best we could do for the first week or two, is get a MUE and maybe a few Ranger and Airborne battalions into country. Were the conflict would be decided is the Air and Sea. China still has numbers, and they are improving but they just do not have the ability to do more then a propaganda action at most against the continental US.
Now of course lets not forget about attacking Americas pacific stats and territory Hawaii, Guam, Samoa...etc. I could see maybe a few commando raids, and shelling of the Islands.

[Almost Fearless]

In your view, is the thing stopping them the fact that they can't get past the US Navy/Coast Guard, no ability to support the troops they land when they get there, both, or something else? Just wondering what hand wavy excuses I need to come up with for my campaign to make the tiniest bit of sense...

[commissarmoody]

In your view, is the thing stopping them the fact that they can't get past the US Navy/Coast Guard, no ability to support the troops they land when they get there, both, or something else? Just wondering what hand wavy excuses I need to come up with for my campaign to make the tiniest bit of sense...

Hit the nail on the head. But its a fictional conflict so you could make up all kinds of crazy ways they got over. Maybe They sneak in a bunch of troops into some of there trade zones in major US ports. And as part of a declared war effort on Taiwan, Japan what have you they do all or nothing raids on the ports and make a go for the docked fleets, and communications. Mean while trying to knock out the US carrier groups at sea with there subs.
The idea being that the units in the US are trying to cause as much damage as possible, and fight as long as they can to try to toss a spanner into Americas ability to rush troops over the ocean, because the government and military are distracted trying to stop and hunt down the invaders.  This is of course all hypothetical, and the units doing the raid are doomed. They might complete there mission, but they will ether have to surrender or fight to the last. Not to mention that it would set off the total war mentality fuelled by revenge that the US military excels at.

[commissarmoody]

But when it comes down to it. Its a game, Make up any excuse you want to justify it. 

[Elk101]

I was thinking about PLA incursions into northern Vietnam (following several incidents in the South China Seas) and small teams of US special forces being sent into investigate. This is obviously because I see this as a realistic potential future conflict and not because I only bought two squads of PLA and eight DEVGRU figures and I'm already making Vietnam terrain. 

I thought it would be a nice bit of variety!

[NurgleHH]

I think I'm to strong into Twillight:2000/2013. China is invading The West of America. So I think of Diners and Petrolstation in the desert (like Grimm's AC1957-Table). Maybe a small desert-town with buildings from Bachmann. It all can work together. Oh, the Australians... I have to think about them

[Elbows]

China has a very powerful military...but it's powerful in a different fashion than ours.  They have "decent" stuff but really lack the quality of our equipment (and our training).  However, China has one huge advantage - numbers.  Oddly they don't have enough aviation transport capability, though that could change.  They recently unveiled their first major transport plane.  Granted it's essentially a copy-cat of a couple Western designs...but in 10-15 years perhaps they'll have a bunch of them.

One easy way to make it all justifiable is that terrorist forces strike the US with a nuclear or chemical weapon on the East Coast - severely destroying the economy, drawing the US into another war.  While at our weakest China makes a move for the West Coast (or maybe just Alaska first?).

Another simple idea is that China manages to get a first-strike nuclear attack on the US (economic suicide for them, but let's pretend they discovered gigantic oil and natural resources in their country and are financially stabilized by it) and the PLA come in to clean up all of the states and areas which don't have major cities (ie. places which weren't worth a nuke).  This would remove the major US military machine from the equation and you could do left-over units, national guard, reserve forces, some allied Canadians, etc.

The easiest ideas of course are a Chinese invasion of Australia or New Zealand (they could do this, but reasons would be...?) or China attacks Hawaii or Alaska - something far enough from the mainland to make it a fight.