Recently, I watched an anti-Japanese drama and was curious about how much the chief of staff has power.
When looking deeper into the hierarchy and roles in the military field, we find the evolution and importance of the position of Chief of Staff.
In peacetime, the chief of staff, as the right-hand man of the military commander, enjoyed a high status. They have ample time for research and discussion, and they provide valuable advice on the command and redeployment of troops. Against this background, the rank of the chief of staff was relatively high, and his influence was revealed.
However, throughout history, the position of chief of staff has not always been like this. Before the founding of the People's Republic of China, the position of chief of staff of our army was not prominent. During the period of frequent guerrilla warfare and movement warfare, it was difficult for the command to grasp the situation on the front line in a timely manner due to the lack of communication equipment. This gives lower-level military commanders more autonomy on the battlefield, and they must make quick decisions to respond to the rapidly changing battlefield situation. In such an environment, the military command authority at the lower level is significantly higher than that of the chief of staff, and even higher than that of the military chief at the higher level.
The evolution of the post of Chief of Staff is closely linked to the development of the military system. Beginning with Yuan Shikai's small station training, the chief of staff gradually became an indispensable part of the military system. However, in the early military system, the rank of chief of staff was not high. Although they are the leaders of many staff officers, they can only command their own staff officers. The advice provided by the staff officers cannot be translated into action without the endorsement of the military commander.
Over time, the status of the chief of staff gradually increased. After the Northern Expedition, the rank of chief of staff of the national army began to be higher than that of the military chief of the lower two ranks. This change was reflected in the reorganization of the Red Army units into the Eighth Route Army. Ye Jianying, the chief of staff of the Eighth Route Army, although he was ranked at the end of the marshal, his rank was higher than that of the brigade commander. This change reflects the elevation of the chief of staff and his importance in the military command structure.
During the War of Liberation and the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China, although the rank of chiefs of staff was slightly lower than that of lower-level military commanders, their status and role still cannot be ignored. Many chiefs of staff later held higher positions, such as Liu Yalou and Chen Shiyu. Their promotion is a testament to the importance and value of the post of Chief of Staff in the military sphere.
After entering the 80s, the status of the chief of staff was further enhanced. They not only became the head of the command, but were also included in the rank of deputy. This made it the norm for the chief of staff to rank higher than the junior military chief. In peacetime, when there is sufficient time for study, discussion, and reporting, the position and role of the chief of staff have been brought into better play.
However, we also need to recognize that in wartime conditions can be different. It is necessary and necessary to give enough autonomy to subordinates on the battlefield, which will make them rank higher than the chief of staff at a given moment. But in any case, the chief of staff has always been an indispensable assistant and think tank to the military commander, playing a vital role in the military field.