Posted on 07/12/2017 3:12:20 AM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
BEIJING: China will downsize its 2.3 million-strong army, the world's largest, to under one million in the biggest troop reduction in its history as part of a restructuring process, an official Chinese daily said.
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) will increase the numbers of other services, including navy and missile forces, the PLA Daily, the official newspaper of the Chinese military, reported.
Jun Zhengping Studio, a Chinese social WeChat account run by the newspaper published an article yesterday on structural reform in China's military, saying that "the old military structure, where the army accounts for the vast majority, will be replaced after the reform".
"The reform is based on China's strategic goals and security requirements. In the past, the People's Liberation Army focused on ground battle and homeland defence, which will undergo fundamental changes," the report said.
"This is the first time that active PLA army personnel would be reduced to below one million," it said.
It added that the number of troops in the PLA Navy, PLA Strategic Support Force and the PLA Rocket Force will be increased, while the PLA Air Force's active service personnel will remain the same.
According to the Ministry of Defence data, the People's Liberation Army had about 8.50 lakh combat troops in 2013. No official numbers of the total strength of PLA Army were released.
Earlier, Chinese President Xi Jinping had announced that the People's Liberation Army will be cut by three lakh troops. "The total PLA personnel was about 2.3 million before the country announced a cut of 300,000 troops in 2015," state-run Global Times reported.
"This reform will provide other services, including the PLA Rocket Force, Air Force, Navy and Strategic Support Force (mainly responsible for electronic warfare and communication), with more resources and inputs, and the PLA will strengthen its capability to conduct overseas missions," Xu Guangyu, a senior adviser to the China Arms Control and Disarmament Association, was quoted by the media report.
The People's Liberation Army Daily article said that China's overseas interests were spread around the world and needed to be protected.
"These are beyond the army's current capabilities," Mr Xu said. The People's Liberation Army structure should fit China's international status, Xu added.
Many of those PLA troops will become wu jing. (Armed secret police.)
I think that wages are catching up to the PLA.
Any soldiers that survive can be shot after taking over North Korea for failing direct orders -- to reduce costs of the army.
“I think that wages are catching up to the PLA.”
That, plus much of their army is basically made up of poorly trained peasants. Ok for massive frontal attacks against an opponent configured the same. But, who is going to invade China? Answer; nobody.
China is catching up to the times at an astonishing pace. In the last ten years or so they have used as much concrete as America did in the entire twentieth century. (Although, much of it was wasted in substandard make-work structures that will never see an occupant.) The need for boots on the ground has dramatically changed. Advances in weapons and mechanical intelligence gathering mean that only a fraction of the men formerly used to take and hold a position are needed today. The logistics of moving huge numbers of men are daunting. You can move equipment and firepower and sustain it much more easily than thousands of men, who eat, defecate and get sick.
Another poster wondered how many would become armed secret police. Probably not many. I read that the police budget was only a few percent lower than the entire defense budget, which buys ships, planes and soldiers. The police have relatively little in the way of equipment, meaning that the police force is already huge. China’s chief and probably only fear is internal rebellion and unrest. As somebody else pointed out above, nobody in their right mind would invade China.
By streamlining and reducing the military’s personnel, China becomes more dangerous, not less. They are reallocating resources to build an America-beating navy and air force. I think they have learned well from the west and they will be an ever more dangerous opponent for it.
Perhaps an article written by Sun-Tzu? I don’t see how China backs down military in any of their current theaters of operations, particularly given the surplus of men. I will see if I can research this more. Thanks for the post!
Transition from a home defense force (large land army) to a force projection force. Larger Navy with probably many more Marines.
Means they plan on “getting out there”.
Reducing Army headcount but possibly increasing headcount in other branches of the military? I agree that this change makes them more, not less, dangerous.
Sounds like they are getting rid of the “Cannon Fodder” divisions.
There will be some very unhappy field marshals out there.
The old order changeth yielding place to the new
The new order is young and vibrant and not paranoid
And with today’s weaponry, it is not advisable to send an army of hundreds of thousands down the road for an invasion. Would be sitting ducks.
Interesting. Thanks.
Restructuring against a war with America scenario?
The only scenario for more than a million man Army would be India.
Red China poses zero military threat to us now and in the future.
I had always thought of China’s large army as being primarily focused on covering its long land border with the Soviet Union/Russia. The Himalayas are an effective land barrier between China and India.
The problem with the war with India scenario has always been the exceptional risk to China and the cost of winning such a war. What possible long-lasting benefit would it gain from occupying such a populous and poor country (especially if it was also heavily devastated by a major war)?
Both sides have nuclear weapons and indigenously-developed missile delivery systems. Both sides have large, well equipped and well trained armed forces. Both sides have experienced and well trained professional officer corps.
All of which makes the current probing and poking by the Chinese along the line of control in the far north of India look pretty damn stupid.
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