As creators of self-media, we have always paid close attention to the construction of China's troops, understood the fundamental requirements of the combat effectiveness of the troops, and must pay close attention to the four key areas of "military training, political ideology, logistics supply, and equipment support". In these four areas, equipment support is particularly critical, which directly determines the combat effectiveness of the troops and has a bearing on the victory or defeat of the war. As early as 1998, the PLA established the General Armament Department at the level of the Zhengda Military Region, as one of the "four general departments", the General Armament Department is responsible for leading the equipment work of the whole army, promoting the research and development and equipment of new equipment, organizing the implementation of manned space projects, satellite launch and control, and equipment procurement and support.
However, before the reform of the army, the armed police force did not set up a special equipment department, but only three departments: "headquarters, political department, and logistics department". At that time, the equipment department of the Armed Police Force was only a second-level department under the Armed Police Command, not an independent agency. However, since the reform of the Armed Police Force in 2016, the Armed Police Command has been reorganized into the Armed Police Staff, and the equipment department of the former Armed Police Command has been renamed the "Armed Police Force Staff Equipment Bureau" (divisional level), which is still a non-independent second-level department. Why, then, did the Armed Police Force not have a separate armament department before the reform of the army? This is because, at that time, the equipment system and development of the armed police force basically imitated the army, and there were no special equipment needs, so the armed police headquarters did not need to set up an additional independent equipment department at that time.
However, with the comprehensive development of the country's cause, the task situation has undergone great changes. The armed police force no longer relies only on the previous standard equipment, but also needs to develop and equip special weapons and heavy weapons, such as coast guard ships, helicopters, armored vehicles, drones, engineering special equipment and other high-precision special equipment. These tasks need to be carried out systematically, standardizedly and over a long period of time, so the PAPF headquarters needs to establish a special equipment department to lead and plan the development and use of weapons and equipment of the PAPF. Therefore, in October 2017, the headquarters of the Armed Police Force was adjusted and a full-army-level equipment department was established as part of the headquarters of the Armed Police Force, headed by a major general at the military level. Since then, the organizational structure of the headquarters organs of the Armed Police is similar to that of the headquarters organs of the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Rocket Force, and is composed of five departments: the General Staff Department, the Political Work Department, the Logistics Department, the Equipment Department, and the Discipline Inspection Commission.
In short, the establishment of the Armed Police Equipment Department indicates that the Armed Police Force attaches greater importance to the construction of weapons and equipment. In the future, the equipment level of the armed police force will continue to improve to better meet the needs of diversified tasks.