China Defense Blog: Adopting Land Heavy Infantry Tactics for Naval Combat in the China Coast Guard

As noted in the April 11, 2026 entry, the PLA has been steadily evolving its infantry doctrine by moving from light skirmishers to heavy shield units and now experimenting with long‑pike, tight phalanx‑style formations. It’s a very “if it works on land, try it everywhere” progression.

And it’s hard not to notice the historical parallel: the Romans did exactly this in the Second Punic War, turning their heavy infantry into naval shock troops. Roman legionaries fought in tight, shield‑and‑sword formations that translated perfectly to the confined chaos of a ship’s deck. They didn’t out‑sail Carthage; they simply turned sea battles into land battles.

With those examples in mind, it’s no surprise there are renewed calls inside China to revisit the Mandarin Duck Formation 鸳鸯阵, Qi Jiguang’s famous 12‑man close‑quarters squad built around coordinated movement and mutual protection. The formation could split into two mirrored 5‑man teams, each covering the other like paired mandarin ducks. It was designed for tight terrain, disciplined teamwork, and controlled violence at arm’s length.

As argued, this is exactly the kind of structure that makes sense for the current South China Sea boarding operations. The idea isn’t about nostalgia. It’s about recognizing that the China Coast Guard increasingly operates in environments where deck‑level melee, ship‑to‑ship confrontations, and close‑quarters control actions are not hypothetical. A compact, well‑drilled, boarding team, built on proven historical logic I might add, might be far more practical than people assume. So they said.

CG by 大包CG.

China Coast Guard personnel confront Philippine Navy Sailors at Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea in July 2026. ARMED FORCES OF THE PHILIPPINES/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS (link)

Saturday, April 11, 2026

They’ve finally done it: the PLA is now fielding units in a tight phalanx-style formation

Well, they finally went and did it. The PLA is now marching out in what looks unmistakably like a phalanx: long pikes, tight ranks, and a wall of shields up front.

Until now, we’d only seen PLAN infantry armed with shorter polearms, weapons built for flexible formations and brutal melee work. But on open ground, nothing beats the raw stopping power of a heavy pike block. And with that extra shield layer in front, the message is clear: this formation is meant to hold.

The photos don’t show the flanks, but I’d wager they’ll anchor the formation with fast movers, light cavalry or light infantry to keep the wings from being rolled up. In 21st centry modern combat, there's full of battles where the center held but the flanks collapsed. The PLAN high command surely knows the pattern.

PLA heavy infantry update

Finally, the PLA frontier defense heavy infantry is now receiving much-needed equipment standardization and enhanced armor, including leg and elbow guards. Yes, after more than 2000 years, the poor PLA infantry is now headed in the correct way in terms of adequate armor protection, closing the gap with their Han Dynasty counterparts.

I am not crying, just have sands in my eyes......

More Photos For Your Modern Infantry ToE Nerds Out There

Good to see that the Mandarin Duck formation is alive and well. With that being said, a plate armor upgrade would be a great next step upgrade.

Wednesday, October 02, 2024

The PLA still has a much to learn about modern warfare, particularly infantry tactics and related Table of Equipment in 2024

What's wrong this this PLA Phalanx? For starter, their spears are too short, lacking standards. What? no shield? Yikes, only four rank deep.

I am telling you, they would not stand a chance against Little Alex’s Macedonian phalanx of 323 BC. No not a chance.

Man, oh man, the PLA Hastati border guard is carrying a cheap, Chinese knockoff gladius that isn't even sharp to start. Their scuta also appears to be of low quality.

Group photo of this 13-member Contubernium

Two Type 89 120mm Pilum for range attack before close-quarters melee at Contubernium level

Saturday, October 12, 2024

Modern PLA Land Unit Of The Day. Light Cavalry

After reviewing the modern Chinese heavy shield infantry and Phalanx / Mandarin Duck formations, next up is the mysterious PLA Light Cavalry. The PLA Light Cavalry, like other Light Cavalries such as the legendary Mongolian equivalent, is trained as swift scouts and battlefield raiders. As a result, they traded heavy armor for speed and mobility, allowing them to perform critical missions such as performing reconnaissance, quick raids against the enemy's rear, and protecting the flanks of the main army. At least in principle. In actuality, as evidenced by the photographs below, they are not properly armed for modern combat of 2024. While it is understandable that they are not protected with plate armor, they are also not wearing mail shirts for little protection against arrows or melee warfare.

As several famous PLA professional analysts have properly pointed out, the PLA has not performed a massive cavalry charge since the mid Qing dynasty, 200 years ago, thus it is understandable that they will not know how to handle modern combat. They are untested. Additionally, they appear to be equipped just with a saber and a composited bow, with neither shield or lance to be found. Furthermore, crucial two-way communication technology such as Ram Horn is not available at the squadron level; as some well-known PLA professional analysts have pointed out, corruption at the top levels is to blame for not equipping Ram Horn to each troop.