Infantrymen of the People's Liberation Army Ground Force (PLAGF) are testing high tech "dog tags" that do more than just list down the name, blood type and other mundane data about an individual soldier.

Traditional PLAGF dog tags or identification tags (ID tags) look almost similar to the ones used by the U.S. Army. It consists of a pair of aluminum plates on which are etched vital and non-classified information about the soldier. The tags are held together by a ball chain.

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The current dog tag used by the PLAGF and the three other branches of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) have the following information written in simplified Chinese: Full Name of the soldier; Gender; Date of Birth; RIC (Resident Identity Card) Number; PLA ID Number; Blood Type; Branch of Service.

The new PLA dog tag, on the other hand, "integrates the functions of military support cards, e-casualty cards and identification for military personnel," said the PLA.

The Central Military Commission (CMC), the Communist Party political organization that controls the PLA, said that after an initial test by a PLAGF unit, the new ID tag will be tested and evaluated in 13 units from the People's Liberation Army Navy; People's Liberation Army Air Force and People's Liberation Army Rocket Force.

The PLA launched the design and development of the new ID tags in late 2013 after receiving the CMC's approval.

The new ID tags feature advanced, new materials and intelligent chip technology. PLA said these new features will expedite battlefield rescue and casualty search. In addition, the new ID tags will have new functions such as remains (cadaver) confirmation and bio-features identification, among others.

The evaluations aim to verify the tactical and technical performance of the new ID tag. To be tested will be the dog tag's electromagnetic compatibility with weapons platforms; interconnection with the tactical communication system and peace and wartime logistic support systems; adaptability; reliability and security in different scenarios.

The evaluation will also examine wearability; applications in troop management; combat readiness training; logistic supply and search and rescue functions for different troops.

CMC said the next step will be to collect and analyze the test and trial data, and make improvements to the ID tags before the new dog tags are issued to the entire PLA.

TagsPeople's Liberation Army Ground Force, dog tags, identification tags, ID tags, People's Liberation Army, PLA, Central Military Commission