The People's Liberation Army Special Operations Forces () are the special forces of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), excluding the paramilitary People’s Armed Police (PAP) of The People’s Republic of China. The forces intended combat role is to be rapid-response units in the event of a limited regional war under high-tech conditions. They also carry out commando, counter-terrorism, and intelligence gathering operations. The building up of China's special forces represents a shift in the country's operational thinking, from an army-dominated force structure to emphasizing integrated joint operations, with a flexible elite force. History The PLA's interest in modern special warfare was first noted in the mid-1980s when it was shifting its military stance from a "people's war" to "fighting a local war under hi-tech conditions." The PLA planners believed that the next war would be a short, fast-paced conflict on the periphery rather than a total war on Chinese territory, and that conventional infantry-orientated ground forces would no longer meet their requirements. Additionally, the PLA's combat experience from the 1979 and 1980s border conflicts with Vietnam, where Vietnamese special forces caused substantial trouble to the Chinese forces, demonstrated the value of special units. On 23 December 2008, their first publicly known mission was to accompany three Chinese warships in protecting and escorting commercial ships against Somali pirates, in cooperation with other nations as part of a UN mandate. Special operations units The special operations forces of PLA are under the administration of different branches of the military. In the PLA Ground Force, each army group has its own special warfare brigade (特战旅/特战团). PLAGF Special Warfare units are similar to the US 75th Ranger Regiment in that they do not have the civil affairs and psychological warfare capabilities that the US Army Special Operations Command has. The Chinese Naval special operations force is a sub-branch of the PLA Navy Marine Corps. Units include the Marine Amphibious Reconnaissance Battalions/Regiments (海军陆战队两栖侦查营/团) and the Jiaolong Assault Team (or Sea Dragon Commandos, 蛟龙突击队), a unit similar to US Navy SEALs and US Marine Raiders. The PLA Air Force has its own special operations force with airborne capability, which is a part of PLA Air Force's airborne troops, the Leishen (Thundergod) Commando Airborne Force (雷神突击队). The PLA Rocket Force has a special forces unit called "Blade Commandos" (利刃突击队), it is specialized in special reconnaissance and facility protection operations. The unit can provide intelligence gathering and special