"China's Defense and Military Reform: A Comprehensive Reinvention"
Recently, China undertook a round of defense and military reform, which was a comprehensive success. From the level of military institutions to grassroots combat units, the reform has undergone radical changes, realizing the overall revolutionary reshaping of the Chinese military. Generally speaking, the core idea of this reform is "the Central Military Commission takes the lead, the theater is the mainstay, and the services are optimized."
In terms of organizational structure, the PLA abolished the original seven military regions, re-established five major theaters, established an army leadership organization for the first time, and newly established strategic support forces and joint logistics support units. At the same time, the PLA divided the original "four general departments" into 15 functional departments of the Central Military Commission, renamed the "Second Artillery Corps" as the "Rocket Force," and reduced the original 18 group armies to the current 13. Each sub-theater level army unit is equipped with an army reserve base.
In terms of force structure and force composition, the PLA has made adjustments, involving "some increases and some decreases." The size of the Army has been reduced, with the Navy, Rocket Force and Strategic Support Forces increasing moderately, while the size of the Air Force has remained the same. As a result of this adjustment, the force structure within the services and arms has been optimized, the new-type combat forces have been strengthened, and the proportion of new-quality combat strength has increased significantly.
In addition, the main body of the PLA's combat forces now implements a three-level system of "army-brigade-battalion", and only the establishment of "divisions" has been retained in the Xinjiang Military Region and the Beijing Garrison, and the composite brigade has become the main basic combat unit of the Chinese army, while the composite battalion has become the most basic combat unit.
At present, the PLA has sophisticated weapons and an efficient command system, and already has powerful long-range precision strike and area denial capabilities. The PLA can mobilize all branches of the army to carry out joint operations and play various combination punches, and the destructive power brought by this combat power is unbearable for any country.
Finally, the following is a specific list of units or departments at the deputy theater level that are on active duty in the PLA:
Army systems (7): Eastern Theater Army, Southern Theater Army, Western Theater Army, Northern Theater Army, Central Theater Army, Tibet Military Region, Xinjiang Military Region.
Naval systems (3): Eastern Theater Navy, Southern Theater Navy, Northern Theater Navy.
Air force systems (5): Eastern Theater Air Force, Southern Theater Air Force, Western Theater Air Force, Northern Theater Air Force, Central Theater Air Force.
Strategic Support Forces (2): Space Systems Department and Network Systems Department.
Functional departments of the Central Military Commission (7): General Office of the Central Military Commission, Logistics Support Department of the Central Military Commission, Equipment Development Department of the Central Military Commission, Training Management Department of the Central Military Commission, National Defense Mobilization Department of the Central Military Commission, Political and Legal Commission of the Central Military Commission, and Science and Technology Commission of the Central Military Commission.
Military academy system (2): National Defense University, Academy of Military Sciences.
This round of reform marks that the Chinese military has completed a comprehensive reshaping of its national defense and armed forces, preparing for future challenges.