Since 2016, China has undergone a massive restructuring of its armed forces. According to the plans of the command, the People's Liberation Army had to change its organizational and staff structure in accordance with the requirements of the time. In just a few years, the tasks were completed, and the reform was completed. Now the PLA is smaller in terms of numbers, but its combat potential should have increased.
Prerequisites and preparation
The need for reforms in the PLA has been discussed for several years, and on January 1, 2016, the country's leadership launched a new reform. According to the plans of that time, all work should have been completed by 2020. It should be noted that 2020 occupies a special place in Beijing's plans, incl. in the military sphere.
The reason for the reform was long-standing criticism of the existing structure of the PLA. In terms of its architecture, the army met the requirements of the past decades, but did not meet the current views on defense. In addition, there were corruption and other negative phenomena. All this led to the need for reform.
The preparation of the reform took several years. During this time, more than 850 forums and conferences were held on the topic of the current and desired appearance of the PLA, a survey was conducted of the personnel of 700 military units, and the opinions of more than 900 commanders at different levels were taken into account.
It is known about the analysis and application of foreign experience. The military and political leadership of the PRC took into account the latest transformations in the armed forces of the United States and Russia. Using all the data obtained, the military leaders were able to determine the path of the army's development and draw up a clear program of action.
The first goal of the reform was to change the organizational structure of the armed forces in order to eliminate bureaucratic and corruption problems, as well as to speed up work and more easily solve the assigned tasks. It was also planned to reduce the number of personnel to acceptable values, allowing them to maintain combat effectiveness and have the necessary reserves. In parallel, it was necessary to carry out rearmament on modern models of all classes.
Administrative transformations
On January 11, 2016, an order was signed on the transformation of the highest command structures. The General Staff, the Main Political Directorate, the Main Logistics Directorate and the Main Armaments Directorate were transformed into 15 new smaller organizations with their own goals and objectives. Some of these departments were previously part of larger ones, while some appeared for the first time.
Several new structures have emerged under the Central Military Commission. These are the Committee on Science and Technology, Office of Strategic Planning, Reform and International Military Cooperation. The tasks of monitoring the progress of work are assigned to the Audit Department at the Central Military Commission.
In 2017, the restructuring of military administrative units started. Prior to that, the armies were part of seven military districts. Now, instead of them, there are five joint commands, divided by geography. The boundaries of the areas of responsibility of such OK partially coincide with the division of the old districts.
Army changes
In parallel with the transformation of the districts into the PLA, there was a restructuring of the main formations. Until 2017, the ground forces included 20 armies - from 3 to 5 in each military district. After the reform, their number was reduced to 13, the armies subordinated to the OK were also rebuilt.
For example, earlier in the Shenyang military district there were 16th, 26th, 39th and 40th combined arms armies, including infantry, tank and other formations. As part of the reform, the Northern Joint Command was created on the basis of the district, to which the 78th, 79th and 80th armies are subordinate. These associations were created by transforming and re-equipping the four existing armies.
Each new army includes six combined-arms brigades with infantry, tank and other units. Also, the army has six support brigades, artillery brigades, air defense brigades, army aviation, etc. Severnoye OK directly controls 11 border brigades and 4 coastal defense brigades.
Combined-arms brigades are the main strike weapons of the armies of the new look. They include two tank battalions of 40 vehicles each and two motorized infantry battalions with 31 armored vehicles each. The brigade's artillery battalion includes 36 guns; the air defense division is equipped with 18 anti-aircraft systems of the military air defense.
Conversions to strategic nuclear forces
Against the background of the general transformations of the army, the land component of the strategic nuclear forces was renamed. Until the end of 2015, the 2nd artillery corps of the PLA was responsible for the operation of ground-based missile systems. On January 1, 2016, the corps was reorganized into the missile forces of the People's Liberation Army.
According to foreign data, the reorganization of the 2nd artillery corps into missile forces did not lead to any serious changes in the organizational and staff structure. In fact, this is only a name change. The ground component of the strategic nuclear forces has long exceeded the army corps in number and capabilities, and now it has been renamed troops.
Strategic support forces
Since 2016, a completely new structure has been operating within the PLA - the strategic support forces. This branch of the armed forces is responsible for the introduction and application of the most modern rocket-space and radio-electronic technologies. With the help of spacecraft and electronics, the MTR must conduct reconnaissance, carry out operations in cyberspace and counter enemy electronic means.
According to known data, MTR includes space systems management and network systems management. The first structure is responsible for the operation of military spaceports and various equipment, both in orbit and on the ground. The second works in the field of cyber warfare and electronics in general. For obvious reasons, the strategic support forces attract special attention of foreign intelligence services, but the main aspects of their activities remain secret.
Reform results
Earlier this year, the PLA command published interesting data on the results of the transformation of the ground forces and the armed forces in general. As part of the reform, more than half of the non-combat units fell under the reduction. All this affected the personnel. Thus, the number of officers in service decreased by 30%.
An interesting result of the reform was the change in the proportions of personnel in different types of troops. For the first time in the history of the PLA, the number of ground forces dropped below 50% of the total number of military personnel in the armed forces. However, the exact numbers were not disclosed at that time. It is also regularly reported that the fighting efficiency of the army is growing as a result of the transformations.
From the available data, it follows that the positive results of the current reform are based on several main factors. First of all, this is the optimization of management structures with the division of responsibilities between different organizations. A noticeable economic effect could be given by a reduction in the number of units and personnel. In parallel with the reform of the army, the production of new types of weapons and equipment with improved characteristics was carried out, which could enhance the effect of organizational transformations.
An important step is the creation of strategic support forces, uniting a number of previously existing structures. Their consolidation into a single MTR simplifies the conduct of the necessary operations and interaction with other types of armed forces and branches of the armed forces. The conversion of the 2nd Artillery Corps into the Rocket Forces has no serious consequences, as the development of this structure is primarily associated with new technologies and developments.
It is known that when developing the reform plan, foreign experience was taken into account - incl. transformations in the Russian army in previous years. Apparently, it was Russia that became the source of the main ideas and solutions. As a result, the new combined-arms armies and their brigades are structured to a certain extent reminiscent of the “new look” formations of the Russian army.
It is argued that according to the results of the reform of 2016-19. The People's Liberation Army of China has become slightly smaller, but stronger and more efficient. Carrying out such transformations, which have positive consequences, fully fits into Beijing's current strategy. The PRC wants to gain a foothold in the position of a regional leader and then become a world power. The solution of such tasks requires a powerful developed army, which requires reforms and transformations.
