The Chinese army is considered the largest in the world. Today, over 2 million privates and officers serve in its ranks. Troops are formed on the basis of conscription. Young people from 18 to 24 years old serve in the active army. The service life is 2 years. The Chinese armed forces also include a people's militia, where men aged 18 to 35 serve as privates. Persons who have undergone army training form the core of the militia and form its officer corps.

The military craft in China is considered very prestigious and respected, so many conscripts continue to serve after two years, but already under a contract. Military personnel can count on the provision of a number of benefits, housing, increased pensions, special conditions for life and health insurance, state support when looking for work after being transferred to the reserve.

According to the latest orders of the Ministry of National Defense of the People's Republic of China, draft boards must give preference to young people with higher or completed secondary education. Many high-ranking Chinese military men in interviews note that now for China it is not so much a physically developed as an educated soldier that is important.

Story

The Chinese army grew out of separate army detachments that supported the Communist Party of China in the summer of 1927 and opposed the Kuomintang government. Until 1949, the Chinese Red Army was the mainstay of the communists in the civil war. Also, the Chinese military distinguished themselves in repelling the aggression of the Japanese invaders during the Second World War. In 1946, the Chinese army received its official name - the PLA (National Liberation Army of China).

The USSR played a major role in the formation and formation of the PLA. The Soviet military gave the Chinese side all the weapons left after the defeat of the Kwantung Army in the Far East. Soviet specialists repeatedly came to China to help organize the army command and control system and bring with them the latest weapons.

Since 1949, the PLA has taken part in the following military conflicts:

• Korean War (1950-53);
• Sino-Vietnamese War (1979);
• border conflicts with India in 1962 and 1967;
• several border conflicts with Vietnam (between 1974 and 1990);
• conflict with the USSR over Damansky Island (1969);
• clashes with Taiwan, where the Kuomintang leaders settled, after the end of the Civil War.

In the 1990s, reforms were carried out in the army aimed at modernization. In 2015, Xi Jinping announced the start of a new reform that continues to this day.

Structure

The administration of the PLA is entrusted to the Central Military Council of the People's Republic of China. In fact, the composition of the military council of the country always coincides with the composition of another, already purely party body - the military council of the CPC Central Committee. The current chairman of both structures is Xi Jinping. The Central Military Commission of the People's Republic of China is a state body that has no analogues in the world. Not only the army, but also the police, the people's militia and detachments of combatants are subordinate to the council. In fact, the Communist Party controls all power structures in the country.

It is curious that the PRC Ministry of Defense performs secondary functions and is much inferior in importance to the military council. It is responsible for conducting peacekeeping missions and organizing international military cooperation.

At the moment, the PLA includes five types of troops:

• ground troops. The most numerous branch of the armed forces. Includes infantry, armored, airborne, border, engineering, chemical, reconnaissance troops, etc.
• air Force. Until the end of the 1970s, the main task of the Chinese Air Force was only to support the ground army in combat in the country. But since the 1990s, aircraft have become capable of more diverse missions, such as strikes against land and sea targets outside of China. Today, the Celestial Empire has 4,000 combat aircraft and 700 launchers for anti-aircraft guided missiles.
• naval forces. The Chinese Navy includes three fleets (the North, East and South Seas). Each of these fleets consists of smaller units: the Coast Guard, the submarine and surface fleet, and naval aviation.
• rocket troops. One of the youngest branches of the military, which appeared only in 2016. Everything related to the activities of this military unit is kept a top secret by the Chinese government. Western powers show the greatest interest in China's nuclear potential and the volume of weapons of mass destruction, so American and European experts regularly put forward their assessments of the Chinese arsenal.
• strategic support troops. Another structure that emerged after the announcement of the 2015 reform. Very little is known about the VSP. The main task of the division: ensuring the superiority of China over the enemy in space and cyberspace. It is likely that the troops are responsible for intelligence activities, information gathering, satellite and radar systems.

PLA reform 2015-2020

In 2015, China began a large-scale military reform, designed for 5 years. World experts note the depth and significance of this reform. Many believe that it means not only fundamental changes in army life, but also opens a new stage in the political life of the entire state. The preparation of the reform went on for about 7 years, a huge theoretical and practical work was done, which required the involvement of both military and civilian specialists. Chinese experts note that for its development they used the experience of many powers (primarily Russia and the United States).

The main goals of the reform are:

• eliminating corruption and abuses in the army, and strengthening the CCP's control over the military. These two directions can be considered the main tasks of army modernization;
• the creation of a single headquarters for all branches of the armed forces, the reorganization of the PLA command system;
• removing some non-core tasks from the sphere of responsibility of the military;
• improving the professionalism of officers;
• changing the boundaries of military districts and improving the internal system of command and control of the military forces of individual provinces;
• the design of the structure responsible for conducting cyber warfare;
• the growing role of the Navy and Air Force;
• using the latest information technologies.

The features of this reform are associated not only with the technological breakthrough that began in China in the 21st century, but also with a change in Chinese foreign policy doctrine. If for almost the entire second half of the twentieth century, the Chinese were preparing for an armed conflict with the USSR and therefore attached the greatest importance to ground forces, now the priority direction of Chinese foreign policy is the protection of its territorial waters and dominance in the Pacific Ocean. This explains the mass layoffs of the military who served in the ground forces, and the enhanced development of the Navy and Air Force.

The change in the command structure of the army comes down, first of all, to the concentration of all resources in the hands of the Central Military Council. Until January 2018, four completely independent headquarters operated under the authority of the council. Under the reform, they were replaced by fifteen departments with narrower powers and a lower level of independence.

Many high-ranking officials and the military lament that the Chinese army is "stricken with a peaceful disease." The PLA has not taken part in real military action for many years, which some see not as a merit of Chinese diplomacy, but as a serious omission. By order of Xi Jinping, the army should regularly conduct regular real-time exercises. The conduct of such tests will be tightly controlled by the state, since in the early 2000s, almost all such activities in China resulted in grandiose money laundering scams.

Technological innovations

So far, Chinese military equipment is somewhat inferior to Russian and American, but it is obvious that over the next decade this gap will rapidly decrease, and then disappear altogether.

Today, the Chinese defense industry fully provides its army with the necessary weapons. Moreover, recently China has been increasingly winning tenders for the supply of weapons to other states, leaving behind European countries and the United States. Many powers prefer to buy Chinese weapons, even if they are more expensive than competitors' products.

At first, Chinese weapons were copied by Soviet and Russian products, and now they are European, American and Israeli ones. However, it would be fundamentally wrong to say that only copies are made in China and there are no own military developments. The main task now facing Chinese specialists is to eliminate dependence on foreign technologies.

One of the latest important Chinese military developments has been the latest submarine detection devices. Unlike traditional sonar, Chinese instruments are much more sensitive and accurate. They react to the slightest magnetic vibrations.

The Chinese managed to achieve no less success in the development of an aerial surveillance system. In 2018, a radar was successfully tested, which makes it possible to detect aircraft based on stealth technology at a great distance. The principle of operation of the radar is based on the use of T-rays (one of the varieties of electromagnetic radiation). T-beam generators have been used in industry before, for example, to detect hidden defects in products. But so far, no country has been able to create a generator of such power that would allow detecting an aircraft at a distance of more than 100 km.

In 2016, two of China's latest missiles, the TL-2 and TL-7, were unveiled at the Military Achievement Exhibition in Singapore. The TL-7 is an anti-ship missile that can be launched from the air, land, or ship. The TL-2 is designed to be launched from a rig or drone.

Another Chinese novelty, designed to bomb the enemy, grew out of Soviet developments. In the 1950s, the Chinese leadership received from the USSR the technical documentation necessary for the assembly of MiG-19 fighters. Aircraft assembled in China were named J-6 and until recently were the most popular combat vehicle in the arsenal of the PLA Air Force. Since this model is now outdated, Chinese engineers began to develop the latest kamikaze drones based on the J-6. Each such aircraft is a ground-based cruise missile.

The Taihan aircraft engine is also a unique Chinese development. The first such engines appeared back in the 1980s, but then they were significantly inferior to American and Soviet designs. For a long time, aircraft engines for the PLA Air Force were purchased abroad, but recently the Chinese side began to equip their aircraft with their own engines.

In parallel with military developments in China, space technologies are rapidly developing. In 2011, the first Chinese orbital station, Tiangong-1, was launched into orbit, modeled on Soviet stations. To date, two more similar Chinese vehicles have been in space. In 2022, Chinese engineers plan to launch the first multi-module manned orbital station.

The military-political leadership of China, judging by reports in the foreign press, is still heading for the militarization of the country, increasing the military-economic potential, and equipping the armed forces with modern military equipment. The People's Daily called for the practical implementation of one of Mao Tse-tung's main precepts - "to intensify preparations for the war."

In order to realize their hegemony plans, the Peking leaders are conducting active militaristic propaganda and are comprehensively speeding up military preparations. "War is a completely normal phenomenon, and therefore it is inevitable," the Chinese defense minister said in one of his speeches. Guided by this “principle,” Peking is now feverishly arming, looking for keys to the arsenal of the NATO countries, asking for NATO allies, and insistently demanding that this aggressive bloc be strengthened in every possible way as a weapon in the fight against world socialism. Thus, at the XXXIII session of the UN General Assembly, the Chinese Foreign Minister openly called on the NATO countries to strengthen their "self-defense", made it clear that Beijing would be on the side of this bloc in the event of a military conflict.

Blocking with the reactionary imperialist forces, the Peking leaders not only call on them to unite against the "common enemy" (the USSR and other states of the socialist community), but also actively build up their military and economic potential, especially the armed forces. This, for example, can be traced in the study of the American X. Nelsen "Chinese military system" ("The Chinese Military System"). The book outlines the structure of the armed forces, the bodies of higher military command, the military-administrative division, the characteristics of the branches of the armed forces and the people's militia.

According to the author of the book, China has numerous formations, formations and units that make up regular and local troops, as well as the people's militia.

The former include: rocket troops (according to Chinese terminology - 2nd artillery), ground forces, air force and air defense, and navy. The total number of regular units, formations and their headquarters is over 4 million people, including: ground forces - 3.25 million, air force and air defense - 400 thousand, navy - 300 thousand people.

According to the 1978 constitution, the commander-in-chief of the armed forces is the chairman of the CPC Central Committee (Fig. 1). He exercises general command of the armed forces through military council of the Central Committee(composition is not permanent), the working body of which is its permanent committee. The latter includes the chairman of the CPC Central Committee (aka chairman of the council), the minister of defense, the chief of the general staff, and other high-ranking figures.

military council develops the main directions of the military-political course and the development of the armed forces, determines the military budget, approves the appointment of commanders from the division commander and above, and also solves other important problems. The commanders of the services of the armed forces and the arms of the armed forces, military districts may participate in extended meetings of this governing body.

The direct leadership of the armed forces, as noted in the book of X. Nelsen, is carried out by the Ministry of Defense through the General Staff, the headquarters of the missile forces, the Air Force and Air Defense, the Navy, the main departments (political and rear) and various departments. The author emphasizes that there is no ground forces headquarters in China. Its functions are performed by the General Staff, the head of which concurrently is the commander of this branch of the armed forces.

The General Staff exercises operational command and control of troops and command and control bodies (Fig. 2). It consists of the following main departments: operational, intelligence, political, combat training, mobilization, communications, chemical troops, security troops, military educational institutions, cartographic, as well as two departments (weapons and administrative). If necessary, the orders of the chief of the general staff can be transmitted directly to formations and units, bypassing their direct commands.

Responsibility for the indoctrination of personnel in the spirit of Maoism, strengthening military discipline and morale in the armed forces of China is entrusted to the main political department. It also deals with issues of internal security (counter-intelligence service) in the army. One of its main tasks is to maintain communication between the army and the population. In wartime, the department is responsible for planning and conducting "psychological" warfare with the enemy, and also carries out work with prisoners of war.

As part of the main political administration, the following departments (departments) have been created: organizational, personnel, propaganda (in charge of the indoctrination of personnel), for work with youth, for relations with the masses (maintaining contact between the army and the civilian population), culture and others. The administration conducts its work in the army through a system of party committees, political departments, and political commissars.

The Main Logistics Directorate provides the armed forces with weapons and military equipment, fuel, ammunition, transport and other types of allowances, and also provides medical care. In his subordination, in addition to the rear bodies and units, there are railway troops and motor transport units, as well as some units (engineering, communications) that are not part of combat formations.

In military-administrative terms, the territory of the country is divided, as reported in the Japanese reference book "Chugoku Soran", into 11 military regions of the first category (large): Xinjiang, Lanzhou, Beijing, Shenyang, Chengdusky, Wuhan, Nanjing, Jinan, Fuzhou, Kunming , Guangzhou. The headquarters of the Xinjiang district is located in the city of Urumqi, and the rest - in the cities of the same name. Large military districts, in turn, are subdivided into provincial (two or three in each).

The commands of the military districts of the first category manage the daily activities of the regular (field) troops, and the provincial ones - perform the functions of protecting the territory and important facilities, are responsible for conscription into the army and the employment of demobilized military personnel, organize the training of personnel of local troops and people's militia.

In addition, departments of people's armaments were created under the revolutionary committees of districts and communes, performing the functions of military commissariats.

The recruitment of the armed forces is carried out in accordance with the Law on Active Military Service, adopted by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress on March 7, 1978. On its basis, a system of manning the armed forces was introduced, combining military service with voluntary (previously not practiced) recruitment into the army. For military personnel called up by compulsory recruitment, the law establishes the following terms of service in the ground forces - three years (except for technical units where they serve four years), in the Air Force and coastal units of the Navy - four years, on ships - five years. The terms of service of voluntary recruitment personnel are defined as 15 to 20 years.

Regular calls are held, as a rule, once a year (from October 1 to the end of February). The annual size of the draft contingent is set by the Ministry of Defense and distributed among the provinces in proportion to their population. Due to the large number of young people, about 10 percent are called up annually in China. young men (almost one in ten people). They are subjected to rigorous medical screening and due diligence. They must be physically healthy and have “positive” references from work collectives and neighbors in their place of residence.

Rocket troops, according to X. Nelsen, began to be created in the early 60s. With the buildup of nuclear forces, the views of the Chinese leadership on the nature of warfare changed. It believes that the old "people's war" propositions put forward by Mao Tse-tung should be combined with the modern propositions that a future war can be waged using both conventional weapons and nuclear weapons.

To date, in China, as noted in Nelsen's book X, several missile bases and ranges have been deployed to provide launches, technical tests and checks of strategic ballistic missiles. In particular, they have more than 100 ballistic missiles with a range of 1,200 km and 2,800 km. Work is underway to create missiles with a longer firing range (5,600 and 12,000 km) and missiles for submarines. In addition, light and medium bombers, as well as fighter-bomber aircraft, can be used as carriers of nuclear weapons.

Ground troops, as assessed by foreign military experts in the book "The Chinese Military System", the magazine "Arms and Wepons" and the English reference book "Military Balance", form the basis of the Chinese armed forces (over 80 percent of the total number of armed forces). They include practically all types of troops - infantry, armored troops, artillery, signal troops, chemical, engineering and railway troops. In total, there are 136 divisions in the combat strength of this type of armed forces, including 12 tank and three airborne divisions.

The main and most numerous branch of the army is the infantry. Organizationally, it is represented by infantry divisions (121) and other units (subdivisions).

The armored forces were consolidated into 12 tank divisions, representing the reserve of the main command, and tank (tank-self-propelled) regiments, which are part of the infantry divisions. There are about 10,000 tanks on their stock.

Artillery formations (more than 20 divisions), units and subunits, according to Military Balance, are armed with about 18 thousand guns (including self-propelled guns), over 20 thousand mortars, as well as a significant number of multiple launch rocket systems and anti-tank funds.

Subdivisions and units of signal troops are organizationally part of divisions. At the same time, in most military districts of the first category there are separate signal regiments, and in the provincial districts - battalions. X. Nelsen believes that all of them are insufficiently equipped with technical means, mainly wired communication is used. The chemical troops are currently represented by several separate regiments, as well as chemical battalions and chemical defense companies, which are respectively part of the army corps and infantry divisions.

Engineer troops have been consolidated into separate regiments (pontoon-bridge, construction, water supply, electrical engineering, and others), which are subordinate to the main logistics department and the commands of the military districts (up to 30 regiments in total).

In addition, each infantry division has one engineer battalion.

There are 15 divisions in the railway troops, which are engaged in the construction and repair of railways, and sometimes in the maintenance of individual lines. To carry out large-scale work, the civilian population is involved in helping these troops.

Most of the infantry formations have been consolidated into three-divisional army corps (38 in total). Nelsen's book notes that in the Chinese ground forces there are army corps of the following types: reinforced, heavy, light and mountain infantry. The difference between them lies in the purpose and equipment of weapons and vehicles. Reinforced and heavy corps have tanks, artillery pieces of larger calibers and a much larger number of vehicles.

On average, the number of personnel of army corps can be 46-51 thousand people. According to the author of this book, enhanced army corps includes three infantry divisions, a tank regiment and corps artillery. It consists of over 300 tanks, 200 armored personnel carriers, about 140 guns and mortars (caliber 120 mm and above), up to 2350 different vehicles.

Infantry divisions are subdivided into the same types as army corps, and differ from each other in the number of weapons. As a rule, they consist of three infantry, tank (tank-propelled) and artillery regiments and other combat support units. There are no tanks in light and mountain infantry formations.

Local troops are subordinate to the commands of the provincial districts and are designed to solve limited tasks. At present, as reported in the Military Balance reference book, there are 70 infantry divisions and 130 separate regiments in their composition.

The largest grouping of ground forces (approximately 40 percent of the total personnel), according to the magazine Chugoku Koge Tsujin (Japan), is deployed in Northeast China (six army corps), North China (eight) and Northwest (three ). The airborne divisions are stationed in the Wuhan military district.

Air Force and Air Defense, as reported in Military Balance, include all types of aviation, parts of missiles, anti-aircraft artillery and radio engineering units. The aircraft fleet consists of approximately 5,000 aircraft, of which about 4,000 fighters, more than 500 fighter-bombers, 80 medium and up to 400 light bombers. The military transport aviation has almost 450 transport aircraft and 300 helicopters.

Aviation command is currently carried out by the main headquarters of the RBC, which organizationally consists of the following departments: operational, political, combat training, organizational, rear, communications, personnel, educational institutions, engineering, civil aviation and meteorological services.

Organizationally, the Air Force has been consolidated into aviation divisions and separate regiments. In total, they include about 40 aviation divisions, including: bomber - five, assault - four, fighter - about 30. Most of the air divisions are part of the aviation corps.

The air defense forces have up to 100 anti-aircraft missile systems, 20 anti-aircraft artillery divisions and 30 separate anti-aircraft artillery regiments (a total of 10 thousand guns), as well as 22 radio engineering regiments. In the interests of the air defense of important areas and facilities, it is also planned to use all available fighter aviation divisions.

More than 30 aviation schools have been set up in China to train flight and technical staff of the Air Force and Air Defense.

According to the author of the book "Chinese military system", formations and units of the Air Force and Air Defense are capable of providing air support to ground forces and carrying out air defense of important military and military-industrial facilities and groupings of their troops. In recent years, the Chinese leadership has been trying to update the military equipment of this branch of the armed forces and has been intensively negotiating with a number of NATO countries on the purchase of modern aircraft and helicopters.

Naval Forces are the smallest branch of the armed forces of China and consist, as indicated in the Jane reference book for 1978-1979, from formations of warships, naval aviation and coastal artillery units. In organizational terms, they are summarized in three fleets (Northern, Eastern and Southern). In total, the Navy has approximately 1050 warships of the main classes and various boats, including 77 diesel torpedo submarines, nine URO destroyers, more than 160 missile and 200 torpedo boats. AT Northern Fleet(operational zone - the waters of the Yellow Sea and the northern part of the East China Sea) there are more than 300 ships and boats, in Eastern(from the port of Lianyungang on the East China Sea to the border between the provinces of Fujian and Guangdong) - up to 450 ships and boats, in Southern(water area of ​​the South China Sea to the Sino-Vietnamese border) - about 300 ships and boats. The fleet of the Navy aviation is almost 700 combat aircraft, including 130 light bombers (torpedo bombers) and 500 fighters.

The coastal missile and artillery units are armed mainly with large-caliber artillery. Most of the fleet's forces are small ships and boats designed for operations in coastal waters.

The American X. Nelsen believes that the Chinese Navy is capable of solving the tasks of defending the coast and protecting its sea lanes, combating enemy surface ships and convoys at sea crossings, on a limited scale to carry out the transfer of troops and military equipment by sea, to land small tactical landings and sabotage - reconnaissance groups behind enemy lines.

Particular attention in the development of the Chinese Navy is paid to the creation of submarines, missile ships and boats. Among the novelties of Chinese shipbuilding, as emphasized in the journal Mnliteri Review, there are URO destroyers and URO frigates.

Civil uprising- a mass paramilitary organization in which persons who are not in active military service undergo military training. As noted in Nelsen's book, according to the age and level of training of the trainees, the people's militia is divided into personnel and general militia.

The cadre militia (mostly former servicemen, numbering more than 15 million people) is divided into armed (about 7 million people) and unarmed.

Training of cadre unarmed militia militias is carried out at the place of work. Several days a year are allotted for military studies.

The training program for personnel armed militia is designed for 20-45 days during the year. It includes the study of the material part of small arms, grenade throwing, hand-to-hand combat, small arms training, demolition, setting anti-tank and anti-personnel mines, as well as working out the tactics of small units.

Personnel of the regular armed militia are involved in carrying out internal protection of objects, maintaining public order and patrolling in the border areas.

Persons who have not completed active military service are enlisted in the general militia. When training personnel, most of the time is devoted to individual training and indoctrination.

In the course of operational and combat training of Chinese troops, much attention is paid to maneuvering. They combine a rapid offensive, advance and rapid retreat, concentration and dispersal of forces and means, as well as active operations in various types of combat.

The American newspaper The New York Times reported that China had recently conducted major exercises at a higher technical level than before.

The command of the Chinese armed forces attaches great importance to the development in soldiers of such qualities as fanaticism, physical endurance, unpretentiousness, etc. Up to 30 percent. training time is devoted to intensive indoctrination of personnel in the spirit of Maoism, blind obedience to superiors, nationalism, chauvinism and hatred of other peoples. An important place in ideological indoctrination is occupied by instilling hatred for the USSR, its Armed Forces and people.

This is how foreign military experts characterize the armed forces of China. At the same time, the foreign press emphasizes that the current Chinese leadership is stubbornly striving to equip its armed forces with the latest weapons and military equipment so that they are able to fulfill its great-power and hegemonic aspirations.

Colonel K. Borisov

The army of China, or as the Chinese themselves call it, the People's Liberation Army of China (PLA) is the largest army in the world in terms of numbers. As of 2018, many military experts estimate the size of the Chinese army in different ways, since in recent years the Chinese army has been declining, relying not on quantity, but on the quality of weapons and military equipment. If we take the average number, it turns out that in the Chinese army there are from 2 to 2.3 million people who are in active service.

The Chinese army was founded on August 1, 1927 after the Nanchang uprising. In those years it was called the "Red Army". In the 30s of the 20th century, the Chinese army under the leadership of the Chinese leader Mao Zedong was already a serious organization, being a significant force in the country. In 1949, when the People's Republic of China was proclaimed, the Chinese army became the regular army of this state.

Although Chinese military law provides for compulsory military service, there are so many people who want to join the regular army in China that in all the years of the existence of the regular army, conscription has never been carried out. Military service in China is very honorable, in addition, it was the only opportunity for the peasants to break out of poverty. Volunteers in the Chinese army are accepted up to 49 years.

Chinese army in numbers

The PLA does not report directly to the party (as is believed in many European countries) or the government. To manage the army in China, there are 2 special commissions:

1. State Commission;
2. Party commission.

Most often, these commissions are completely identical in composition, so the commission that manages the Chinese army is mentioned in the singular.

To imagine the full power of the Chinese army, you need to turn to the numbers:

• The minimum age after which you can enter the army in China is 19;
• The number of military personnel is about 2.2 million;
• More than $215 billion is allocated annually to the Chinese army.

Although China's weapons are for the most part the legacy of the USSR or copies of Soviet models, the modernization of the Chinese army in recent years has been very rapid. There are new models of weapons that are not inferior to world analogues. If modernization continues at a similar pace, then in 10 years the weapons of the Chinese army will not be inferior to the weapons of the European armies, and in 15 years they can be compared with the power of the American army.

History of the emergence of the Chinese army

The history of the Chinese army began on August 1, 1927. It was in this year that the famous revolutionary Zhou Enlai provoked other Chinese revolutionaries to rise up in arms against the "northern" government, which in those years was the legitimate Chinese government.

By rallying 20,000 fighters in arms, the Chinese Communist Party initiated the long struggle of the Chinese people against external and internal enemies. July 11, 1933 is considered the date of birth of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army. This date is still considered one of the most revered in China, it is celebrated by all the people of China.

Chinese army today

The modern People's Liberation Army of China has been significantly reduced, although compared to other armies in the world, its composition still looks very impressive. If earlier the main resource of the Chinese army were soldiers, and military equipment could be counted on the fingers, now the Chinese army includes all the components of modern armies:

• Ground troops;
• Air Force;
• Naval Forces;
• Strategic nuclear forces;
• Special forces and many other types of troops, without which it is difficult to imagine a modern army.

Every year, new models of intercontinental missiles and modern nuclear weapons appear in the arsenal of the Chinese army.

The nuclear forces of the Chinese army consist of land, sea and air components, which, according to official information, have about 200 nuclear launchers. Since information about the state of nuclear forces is kept secret by each country, one can be sure that China has many more nuclear carriers than it officially claims.

The strategic missile forces of the Chinese army have 75 ground-based ballistic missile launchers as their backbone. The strategic aviation of China's nuclear forces is composed of 80 Hong-6 aircraft. As a marine component, a nuclear submarine is used, which is armed with 12 launchers. Each of these installations can launch Julang-1 missiles. Although this type of rocket was first deployed in 1986, it is still considered an effective weapon.

The Chinese Ground Forces have the following resources:

• 2.2 million military personnel;
• 89 divisions, of which 11 are armored, and 3 are rapid response;
• 24 armies, which include these divisions.

The air force of the Chinese army includes about 4 thousand aircraft, most of which are obsolete models received from the USSR as military assistance or designed on their basis. Since 75% of the Chinese air fleet are fighters designed to solve combat missions in air defense. Chinese aviation is practically not designed to support the ground forces, although in recent years the situation has begun to improve.

China's naval forces are armed with about 100 large-sized warships, and about 600 combat helicopters and aircraft, which belong to naval aviation. To protect coastal waters, the Chinese Navy has 1,000 patrol ships.

Although many believe that China does not have its own aircraft carriers, the Chinese Navy currently has one Liaoning aircraft carrier in service, which was purchased from Ukraine for $25 million. The purchase of this unfinished aircraft carrier was quite interesting. Since the US was opposed to China buying the aircraft carrier, the Chinese firm purchased it as a floating amusement park. Upon arrival in China, the ship was completed and turned into a combat aircraft carrier, which, in principle, it was originally. Until 2020, China threatens to build 4 more aircraft carriers based on the Liaoning (formerly called the Varyag).

Modernization of the Chinese army

Although China develops new types of weapons every year, in the field of precision weapons, China still lags far behind other developed countries. The Chinese leadership believes that the future belongs to high-precision weapons, so China is investing billions in the development of this type of weapon.

To date, most joint projects between China and Russia are working, for which various agreements have been concluded that affect the following nuances:

• Military technology and development of new weapons that can be shared;
• The field of study of high technologies that can be used for both peaceful and military purposes;
• Space cooperation, which includes various joint programs;
• Cooperation in the field of communications.

In addition, China has received a number of advantages, which include:

• Implementation of joint Chinese-Russian projects, especially military ones;
• Possibility of training and retraining of their employees in Russia;
• Joint modernization of obsolete weapons and their replacement with newer models.

Such cooperation undoubtedly increases the speed of modernization of the Chinese army, although the United States does not like it very much, which fears the possibility of strengthening the Chinese army. Recent years have been marked by an ever-increasing number of contracts between China and Russia related to the acquisition by China of various types of military equipment. The most significant are:

• License for the production of SU-27 fighter jets in China;
• Contract for the repair of Chinese submarines in Russian repair docks.

If we analyze the development of China's defense complex over the past 10 years, it becomes clear that China over the years has not only stepped far forward in terms of the country's economic development, but also in terms of modernizing the army.

Current priorities in the field of defense construction in China

Since in recent years China has completely changed its military doctrine, which is now not related to the preparation of the country for a global war, the priorities in the development of the Chinese army have also changed. Since China currently believes that a world war is now hardly possible, there are massive reductions in the army. At the same time, the Chinese army is rapidly modernizing, and the amount of funds allocated annually for the army is so large that it is not necessary to talk about the loss of power of the Chinese army.

At the same time, the aggressive policy of the United States is forcing China to modernize its army at an accelerated pace, since conversations in the world political arena are still being conducted from a position of strength. That is why the new military doctrine of China speaks of the transformation of the Chinese army into a powerful structure, equipped with the latest technology. An army of this type must be able not only to effectively defend its borders, but also to respond with powerful blows to the enemy, who can be located in any part of the world. That is why China is now investing heavily in the development and modernization of intercontinental cruise missiles capable of carrying nuclear weapons.

Such a position is not connected with the aggressiveness of China, simply because in the last century a huge but technologically backward country was in semi-colonial dependence on Western countries, which for decades plundered the Chinese people. That is why China is cooperating with Russia, which has been actively helping it since the times of the USSR.

China's entire nuclear policy can fit into the concept of a "limited nuclear retaliatory strike," with "retaliatory" being the key word here. This policy, although it assumes the presence of a powerful nuclear potential, but it should only serve as a deterrent for those countries that intend to use nuclear weapons against China. This is not at all like the nuclear arms race that was between the USSR and the USA, so the Chinese nuclear program does not require huge material costs.

In the past decade, China has abandoned the aimless increase in the size of the army. After conducting many analyzes of world military conflicts that have occurred over the past 10-20 years, Chinese military experts have come to the conclusion that modern troops should support the concept of rapid response. At the same time, these groups can be quite compact, but their weapons must meet all modern high-tech parameters. It is science that should drive the modern development of the army. A modern soldier is not cannon fodder, but a versatile specialist who knows how to handle the latest military equipment.

Mobile rapid response teams must, within a few hours, be at the point of a local conflict, which they must quickly neutralize. In accordance with this concept, the Chinese armed forces are developing precisely mobile forces, trying to equip them with various electronics that can perform the following tasks:

• Long-range warning systems;
• Early warning systems;
• Communication systems;
• Remote control systems for weapons and troops;
• The latest means of electronic warfare.

Since China has made tremendous progress in the development of electronics in recent years, the military field is also developing very dynamically.

Financing the Chinese army

Although spending on the Chinese army is in second place in world statistics, second only to the United States, as a percentage of the $ 200 billion that is annually allocated for defense, it is only 1.5-1.9% of the country's GDP. Even 10 years ago this percentage was equal to 55 billion, and 20 years ago it was only 10 billion. Since China's GDP is growing every year, we can expect an increase in funding for the Chinese army in the future.

Representatives of many countries that are rather wary of China (especially the United States) believe that the official statistics provided by the Chinese authorities do not correspond to the real state of affairs. For example, the Japanese, who have disliked China since the Second World War, claim that the real costs of the Chinese army exceed the figures in official statistics by 3 times.

Although the economic situation at the beginning of the 21st century contributed to a reduction in funding around the world, the events of the last 2 decades have shown that China has been able to increase its GDP by more than 20 times. Accordingly, the financing of the army increased exponentially, since no one cut the percentage.

Due to the fact that modern China trades with almost all countries of the world, the diplomatic relations of this country with all gradually normalized. Modern China has especially friendly relations with Russia. These relations are formed on the basis of equal partnership. It is worth noting that the friendly Russian-Chinese relations are of great concern to the United States of America, which wants to be a leader on the world stage. The United States cannot help but worry about China's integration into the world economy, so they would like to have leverage over China from a position of strength. America is well aware that if Russia and China unite against them, then they are unlikely to win, even on the economic battlefield.

If you look at China's domestic politics, you can see China's great attention to the country's internal problems. The standard of living in China is growing at a rapid pace, many Chinese now live in a way that only a select few could afford 20 years ago.

Should the world wait for the “Chinese threat”?

Since any success of any country gives rise to envy and suspicion, China has not escaped this fate either. As a result of the fact that China began to develop rapidly in the past 20 years, it began to be perceived by some politicians in different countries as a possible aggressor. The tabloids around the world picked up these rumors, and now many ordinary people are waiting for aggressive actions from China against their countries. This hysteria has reached the point that even in Russia, which for many years has been China's partner in various fields, many consider the Chinese to be their enemies.

The Chinese authorities express their deep regret that many world countries treat China as a possible aggressor. The reason for these accusations lies in the misunderstanding of Chinese foreign policy. Supporters of the "China threat" theory accuse China of the following:

• After the US and Russian navies reduced the number of warships in the Asia-Pacific region, China rushed to take the vacant seat to become the most significant military force in the region;
• China dreams of the idea of ​​world domination, therefore, it throws all its forces into absorbing world markets and building up military power;
• Since China is buying a huge amount of modern weapons from Russia, this is causing a real arms race in this region. It has gotten to the point where some military experts directly accuse China of having North Korea acquire its own nuclear weapons;
• The modernization of the Chinese army is carried out for only one purpose - to hit any country, perhaps even the United States.

Chinese military experts indignantly deny these accusations. Regarding the leadership of the Chinese fleet in the Asia-Pacific region, Chinese experts cite a number of dry figures that indicate that although Russia and the United States have reduced their forces in this region, the fleet of any of these countries is significantly superior to the Chinese one in terms of its power.

With regard to the Chinese idea of ​​world domination, the rapid growth of the Chinese economy should not be seen as an attempt to establish world domination. The fact that China is buying up enterprises around the world is a common practice of global business that is striving for development.

As for the global modernization of the Chinese army, the Chinese authorities say that this process is a heavy burden on the shoulders of the Chinese economy. The Chinese say that they would gladly refuse this process, but the composition of the People's Liberation Army of China is seriously inferior to the armies of other countries. That is why modernization is a necessary process.

There is some truth in the assurances of Chinese experts and authorities. Indeed, in modern China there are many reforms that are aimed at the economic development of the state. If China has to focus on external problems, this will inevitably lead to problems at home. It is unlikely that China will want to create unnecessary problems for itself when its government is focused on economic reforms.

The US constantly claims that China will launch military aggression from Taiwan, which they have long wanted to take over. If we consider the relationship between China and Taiwan from the point of view of the economy, we can see that these two states have serious economic relations. The annual turnover between the two states is very significant, so it makes no sense for China to lose huge profits by attacking Taiwan.

With the United States most blamed on China, portraying it as a real beast that is just waiting for the moment to attack, one thing can be understood: America does not need another superpower on the world stage. Although for the United States “the train has already left”, and the Chinese army is confidently moving towards leadership positions in the world rankings.

A noticeable geopolitical trend of recent decades has been the rapid rise of China and its gradual transformation from a regional leader into a superpower that no longer hides its global ambitions. Today, China has the second economy in the world, and it continues to grow rapidly, more than a third of world GDP growth is provided by China.

However, a strong economy alone is not enough to realize global ambitions. The power of a state and the respect of its neighbors - as at all times - is determined by the ability of its armed forces to defend national interests.

It should be noted that estimates of Chinese military power vary greatly. From panic materials about the "yellow" threat that can capture the whole world, to an openly dismissive attitude towards the developments of the Chinese military-industrial complex. But still, most experts recognize the successes achieved by the Chinese military leadership in recent years. So, what is the modern army of China? Should she be afraid?

The country's armed forces are officially called the PLA - the People's Liberation Army of China, they were founded on August 1, 1927 during the civil war, but this name was received a little later, after the end of World War II. Today, the PLA is considered one of the strongest armies on the planet, experts put it in second or third place in the ranking of the armed forces of the countries of the world.

In accordance with the country's constitution, the PRC army is not subordinate to the government or the leadership of the Communist Party, but to a special body - the Central Military Council. The post of Chairman of the Central Military Commission is considered one of the key in the hierarchy of power, currently (since 2013) it has been occupied by the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China Xi Jinping. The first chairman of the Central Military Council was Deng Xiaoping, one of the architects of the Chinese economic miracle.

As of 2013, the number of the PLA was 2 million 250 thousand people (according to other sources - 2.6 million). In 2016, another reduction of the Chinese armed forces by 300 thousand people was announced. After the implementation of these plans, approximately 2 million people will remain in the Chinese army.

The Chinese army is conscription, men are recruited into the armed forces at the age of 18 and remain in the reserve until the age of 50.

China continues to increase defense spending: if at the beginning of the 2000s the country spent $17 billion on the army and the military-industrial complex, in 2013 this figure reached $188 billion (2% of GDP). In terms of military spending, China confidently ranks second, significantly ahead of Russia (with its $87.8 billion in 2013), but more than three times behind the United States ($640 billion).

The impressive success of the Chinese defense industry should also be noted. You can forget the times when the word "Chinese" was synonymous with something cheap, low quality and counterfeit. Today, China produces almost the entire range of weapons and ammunition. If earlier China mainly copied Soviet and Russian weapons, today the Chinese defense industry is trying to imitate the most technologically advanced products from the United States, Europe and Israel.

China still lags behind Russia in some areas: aircraft and rocket engines, submarines, cruise missiles - but this gap is rapidly closing. Moreover, the PRC is gradually turning into a powerful player in the global arms market, confidently occupying the niche of inexpensive and high-quality weapons.

History of the PLA

The history of the Chinese armed forces has more than four thousand years. However, the modern army of the PRC is the heir to the pro-communist armed groups that appeared during the civil war that took place in the country in the 20-30s of the last century. On August 1, 1927, an uprising began in the city of Nanchang, during which the so-called Red Army was founded under the leadership of the future leader of China, Mao Zedong.

The Red Army of China fought against the armed forces of the Kuomintang, then fought against the Japanese interventionists. It received the PLA name only after the end of World War II.

After the defeat of the Kwantung Army, the USSR handed over all Japanese weapons to the Chinese comrades. Chinese volunteers armed with Soviet weapons actively participated in the Korean War. The Soviet Union actively helped China to build a new army, and very quickly, numerous and quite combat-ready armed forces were created on the basis of semi-partisan formations.

After Stalin's death, relations between the PRC and the USSR began to deteriorate rapidly, and in 1969 there was a border conflict on Damansky Island, which almost escalated into a full-scale war.

Since the 1950s, the PLA has experienced several significant reductions, the most significant of which was carried out in the early 80s. Until that time, the Chinese army was mainly land, it was "sharpened" for a possible conflict with the USSR. As the likelihood of war in the north declined, the Chinese leadership began to pay more attention to the south: Taiwan, the disputed territories in the South China Sea.

In the 90s of the last century, the leadership of the PRC began a program of modernization of the national armed forces, which led to such an impressive growth in the future. More attention was paid to the development of the navy, missile forces and air force.

A few years ago, the beginning of a new reform of the PLA was officially announced. The transformation is already underway. The principle of formation of the armed forces of the armed forces has changed, new types of troops have been created. The goal of large-scale transformations is to achieve a new level of controllability of the PLA by 2020, optimize the structure of the army and create a military capable of winning in the era of information technology.

Structure of the PLA

The system of power of modern China provides for complete control over the national armed forces by the ruling Communist Party of the country. Each level of PLA organization has its own party control structures. At the same time, it should be noted that, in comparison with the middle of the last century, the influence of the party leadership and ideology on the armed forces has become less.

The main governing body of the PLA is the Central Military Council, which consists of the chairman, his deputy and members of the council, military personnel. There is also a Ministry of Defense in China, but its functions are reduced to a minimum: to the organization of international military cooperation and peacekeeping missions.

The reform, launched in 2016, primarily affected the management system of the PLA. Instead of four headquarters - the General Staff, the main logistics department, the main political department and the weapons department - fifteen compact departments were created, each of which deals with a separate direction and is subordinate to the Central Military Council.

The reform also affected the structure of the Chinese armed forces. As part of the PLA, a new type of troops appeared - the Strategic Support Forces, the country's military districts were reformatted. Previously, the territory of China was divided into seven military regions, on February 1, 2016 they were replaced by five military command zones:

• Northern zone of military command. Its headquarters is in Shenyang City. The command structure includes four army groups. Its main task is to counter the military threat from North Korea, Mongolia, northern Japan and Russia.
• Western Military Command Zone (headquarters in Chengdu). Controls most of the country's territory, but has no access to the sea. The task of the command is to ensure the security of Tibet, Xinjiang and other areas. The most important for China is the Indian direction, for which the Western Command is also responsible. It consists of three army groups and about ten separate divisions.
• Southern Military Command Zone (Headquarters in Guangzhou). Controls the territory near the Vietnamese, Lao and Myanmar borders, it consists of three army groups.
• Eastern Military Command Zone (headquartered in Nanjing). One of the most important areas for China, given the long-standing problem with Taiwan. The Chinese do not rule out the possibility of solving it by military means. The command structure includes three army groups.
• Central Military Command Zone (Headquarters in Beijing). This command protects the capital of the country - Beijing, it includes five army groups at once, so the Central Command can be called strategic for the armed forces of the PRC.

Currently, the PLA includes five branches of service:

• Ground troops;
• Navy;
• Air Force;
• Strategic Rocket Forces;
• Strategic support troops.

Land Forces of the People's Republic of China

China has the largest land army in the world. Experts estimate its number at 1.6 million people. It should be noted that the current reform of the PLA provides for a significant reduction in the Ground Forces. Currently, the Chinese army is continuing its transition from a divisional to a more flexible brigade structure.

The reserves of the Ground Forces are estimated at about 500 thousand people. At least 40% of the Chinese army is mechanized and armored.

Currently, the PLA is armed with more than eight thousand tanks, among which there are both obsolete (various modifications of the tank Type 59, Type 79 and Type 88) and new ones: Type 96 (various modifications), Type-98A, Type-99, Type-99A. The ground forces of the PLA also have 1490 infantry fighting vehicles and 3298 armored personnel carriers. More than 6 thousand towed guns, 1710 self-propelled howitzers, almost 1800 MLRS and more than 1.5 thousand anti-aircraft guns are in operation.

One of the main problems of the Chinese army (including the Ground Forces) is the amount of obsolete equipment and weapons that were developed on the basis of Soviet models at the end of the last century. However, this issue is gradually being resolved, and the troops are being saturated with modern types of weapons.

Air Force

The PRC Air Force is in third place in the world in terms of numbers (390 thousand people (according to other sources - 360 thousand), second only to the United States and Russia. The Air Force is divided into 24 air divisions. The PLA Air Force is armed with about 4 thousand combat aircraft of various types , models and missions, as well as more than a hundred combat helicopters.The Chinese Air Force also includes air defense units, which are armed with about 700 missile launchers and 450 radars of various types.

The main problem of the Chinese Air Force is the operation of a large number of obsolete vehicles (analogues of the Soviet MiG-21, MiG-19, Tu-16 and Il-28).

Serious modernization of the PRC Air Force began at the end of the last century. China has purchased several dozen of the latest Su-27 and Su-30 aircraft from Russia. Then the licensed production of these machines began in the PRC, and then the unlicensed one.

Since about the middle of the last decade, China has been developing its own fifth-generation fighters: the J-31 and J-20. The J-20 fighter was shown to the public last fall. The plans of the Chinese leadership are not only to equip their own Air Force with these machines, but also to actively export them.

Chinese Navy

Until the early 1990s, relatively little attention was paid to the development of naval forces in China. This type of troops was considered auxiliary, but since then the situation has changed dramatically. The leadership of the PRC has understood the importance of the Navy and spares no resources for its modernization.

At present, the strength of the Chinese Navy is 255 thousand people (according to other sources - 290 thousand). The Navy is divided into three fleets: the South, North and East Seas, respectively. The fleets are armed with surface ships, submarines, naval aviation, marine infantry units and coastal defense troops.

In 2013, the Chief of the General Staff of the PLA said that the main threats to modern China come from the sea, so the development of the Navy is a priority.

Rocket troops

Before the start of the reform, the Chinese Strategic Missile Forces were called the Second Artillery Corps, and only in 2016 did they receive a new status. Their number is approximately 100 thousand people.

Many questions are raised by the number of nuclear warheads that China currently possesses. Experts estimate their number from 100 to 650 pieces, but there is another opinion that over several decades, the PRC could produce several thousand nuclear warheads.

The Americans believe that by 2020 China will be able to put on combat duty up to 200 ICBMs (both silo-based and mobile-based) equipped with next-generation warheads. Of particular note are the latest Chinese missile systems Dongfyn-31NA (range 11,000 km) and Dongfyn-41 (14,000 km).

Strategic Support Troops

This is the youngest branch of the Chinese army, it appeared on December 31, 2016. There is very little information about the goals and objectives of the Strategic Support Forces. It was announced that they will be engaged in intelligence, information warfare, attacks in cyberspace, and electronic countermeasures.

If you have any questions - leave them in the comments below the article. We or our visitors will be happy to answer them.

中国人民解放军
Base	August 1, 1927 (Nanchang Uprising)
Types of troops	Ground troops Navy Air Force Rocket troops
Subordination	CPC Central Military Council and PRC Central Military Council (completely identical in composition)
Leaders
Leaders of the military council	Chairman of the Central Military Council (since 2012 - Xi Jinping) Vice Chairman of the Central Military Council - Fan Changlong Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission - Xu Qiliang
Minister of National Defense	Chang Wanquan
Chief of the General Staff	Fang Fenghui
Website

People's Liberation Army of China (PLA)(中国人民解放军 , Zhōnggúo Rénmín Jiěfàng Jūn, Zhongguo Renmin Jiefang Jun) - armed forces of the People's Republic of China and the Communist Party of China, the largest army in the world (about 2.3 million soldiers). August 1 is annually celebrated as Army Day, in memory of the Nanchang uprising on August 1, 1927. The PLA consists of five branches of service: the Ground Forces, the Navy, the Air Force, the Missile Forces and the Strategic Support Forces.

According to the constitution of the PRC, the People's Liberation Army was created by the Communist Party of China and is subordinate to it. The army of China is subordinate to the Central Military Councils of the CPC and the PRC, the powers between them are not delimited, but in fact they are completely the same in composition, so this is not required. The commander-in-chief of the army is the chairman of the Central Military Council, a position usually held by the President of the People's Republic of China and the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China. The Ministry of National Defense, which operates under the State Council of the PRC, has much less influence on the army, its main role is to communicate with foreign armed forces.

Military service is mandatory by law, in fact it is selective due to the huge number of recruits. During an emergency situation in the country, the People's Armed Militia and the People's Liberation Army Militia act as an army reserve.

Story

Founding and Second Sino-Japanese War

August 1, 1927 is considered the founding day of the People's Liberation Army of China. On this day, in response to Chiang Kai-shek's massacre of communists in Shanghai, pro-communist troops led by Zhu De, He Long, Ye Jianying and Zhou Enlai rebelled. These units carried out the Nanchang uprising and became known as the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army, or simply the Red Army. The Red Army participated in the Civil War against the Kuomintang Party. Between 1934 and 1935, the Red Army fought several defensive battles against the Kuomintang led by Chiang Kai-shek, and, having completed the Long March, went to the North of China.

During the Second Sino-Japanese War of 1937-1945, the Communists concluded a truce with the Kuomintang, and the Red Army formally became part of the Kuomintang People's Revolutionary Army, making up the 8th and 4th New armies. Throughout the war, the Red Army almost did not enter into major direct battles, using guerrilla tactics. Through the transfer of Kuomintang troops and the recruitment of recruits in the liberated areas, the Red Army grew rapidly in numbers. After defeating the Japanese in 1945, the two armies were merged to form the People's Liberation Army of China. During the second stage of the Civil War, the Communists defeated the troops of Chiang Kai-shek and on October 1, 1949 founded the People's Republic of China. In November 1949, the first major reorganization of the PLA took place, and the Air Force was created. In April 1950, the Navy was created. Also in 1950, the governing structures of the artillery, armored forces, air defense forces, public security forces and the workers' and peasants' militia were created. Later, chemical defense troops, railway troops, signal troops, the Second Artillery Corps, and others were created.

People's Republic of China and the Cultural Revolution

Parts of the PLA enter Beijing

During the 1950s, with the help of the Soviet Union, the PLA was transformed from a peasant army into a modern one. Part of this process was the creation of thirteen military regions in 1955. The PLA included many units of the People's Revolutionary Army of the Kuomintang, as well as Muslim military leaders in the West of the country. In October 1950, the PLA made a Tibetan campaign, and, having defeated the Tibetan army during the Chamdo operation, annexed Tibet to the PRC. In November 1950, some units of the PLA, under the general name of the People's Volunteer Army, entered the Korean War, when UN troops under the command of Douglas MacArthur approached the border river Yalujiang. The Chinese army was able to drive the Americans out of North Korea, capture Seoul and press the UN troops to the sea, but the army was subsequently pushed back to the 38th parallel. In 1962, the PLA participated in the Sino-Indian border war, and, having achieved all the tasks set, retained the Aksai Chin region for China.

Before the start of the Cultural Revolution, as a rule, the commanders of the military regions remained in office for a long time. As the influence of the military grew, it came to be seen as a threat to party control of the military. During the Cultural Revolution, there was a massive change of leadership. One of the Four Modernizations announced by Zhou Enlai in 1978 was the modernization of the armed forces. In the course of it, the army was reduced, its supply with modern equipment was improved. In 1979, the Sino-Vietnamese border war took place, both sides declared victory.

From the modernization of the 1980s to the present

In 1980, China significantly reduced the army to free up resources and use them to accelerate economic growth. The reform and modernization of the army became the main goal of the PLA. The issues facing the Chinese leadership are the loyalty of the Chinese Communist Party army and its participation in non-military economic activities.

Since the 1980s, the People's Liberation Army of China has changed significantly. Prior to that, it was mainly land, since the main military threat to China was the attack of the Soviet Union from the north. In the 1980s, the Soviet threat waned, with US-backed independent Taiwan and the conflict in the South China Sea over control of the Spratly Islands becoming the focal point. The type of army is changing from a massive use of infantry, to a few, well-equipped highly mobile formations, an air force and a powerful navy. Deng Xiaoping stressed that the PLA should focus more on quality rather than quantity. In 1985, the army was reduced by a million people, and in 1997 by another half a million.

The PRC carefully monitors world military conflicts and takes into account the experience of innovations. The PLA is no longer preparing for large-scale ground operations, but is being improved to participate in high-tech local conflicts, possibly far beyond the borders of China. Increasing attention is being paid to mobility, intelligence, information and cyber warfare. The PLA adopts imported weapons from Russia - Sovremenny class destroyers, Su-27 and Su-30 aircraft, S-300 anti-aircraft systems, as well as numerous samples of its own production - Jian-10 fighters, Jin-class submarines, Liaoning aircraft carrier, Type tanks -99 and many others.

Modern peacekeeping operations

China is a significant member of the UN, and sends parts of the PLA to participate in peacekeeping operations conducted by the UN. Chinese contingents have been deployed in Lebanon, the Republic of the Congo, Sudan, the Ivory Coast, Haiti, Mali and South Sudan. PLA Navy ships are participating in an anti-piracy operation off the coast of Somalia.

Conflicts involving the PLA

• 1927-1950 - Civil war in China, against the Kuomintang party.
• 1937-1945 - Sino-Japanese War, since 1941 part of the Second World War.
• 1949 - Yangtze incident, conflict with British ships on the Yangtze River.
• 1950-1953 - Korean War, under the banner of the People's Volunteer Army.
• 1954-1955 - First crisis in the Taiwan Strait.
• 1958 - Second Taiwan Strait Crisis.
• 1962 - Sino-Indian border war.
• 1967 - Sino-Indian border incident.
• 1965-1970 - Vietnam War.
• 1969-1978 - Soviet-Chinese border conflicts.
• 1974 - Battle of the Paracel Islands with South Vietnam.
• 1979 - Sino-Vietnamese war.
• 1995-1996 - Third crisis in the Taiwan Strait.
• Since 2009 - anti-piracy operation off the coast of Somalia.

Organization

National military command

The state system of the People's Republic of China provides for the principle of absolute leadership of the Communist Party of China over the country's armed forces. According to official documents of the country, it is the Communist Party that is the founder of the PLA. At every level of the organization of the army there are committees of the Communist Party, at the level of divisions and above - party commissars and other party organizations.

Beijing office

The army is led by two Central Military Councils - the Central Military Council of the People's Republic of China and the Central Military Council of the Communist Party of China. The laws do not specify the division of functions between them, but this is not required, since they are completely identical in composition. The compositions differ only once every five years for several months, when the country's leadership changes: first, the Central Military Commission of the CPC is appointed at the National Congress of the CPC, and a few months later at the National People's Congress - the Central Military Council of the PRC. The Central Military Council consists of the Chairman, Vice Chairman, and Council members. The President of the People's Republic of China and the General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee are appointed as the Chairman of the Central Military Commission. The rest of the members of the Central Military Council are regular military men. Unlike most other countries, the Minister of National Defense has few powers, but he is usually appointed by one of the vice chairmen or members of the CMC.

Central authorities

On January 11, 2016, the PLA management system was reformed. The former four headquarters were dissolved, instead of them 15 departments, bureaus and councils were formed, directly subordinate to and appointed by the Central Military Council.

1. Administration Department (办公厅).
2. Joint Headquarters (联合参谋部).
3. Bureau of Political Work (政治工作部).
4. Logistics Bureau (后勤保障部).
5. Equipment Development Bureau (装备发展部).
6. Training Management Bureau (训练管理部).
7. National Defense Mobilization Bureau (国防动员部).
8. Commission for Discipline Inspection (纪律检查委员会).
9. Political and Legislative Affairs Commission (政法委员会).
10. Science and Technology Commission (科学技术委员会).
11. Strategic Planning Office (战略规划办公室).
12. Reform and Organization Office (改革和编制办公室).
13. Office of International Military Cooperation (国际军事合作办公室).
14. Audit Office (审计署).
15. Central Office Management Bureau (机关事务管理总局).

Types of troops

The reform of the PLA at the beginning of 2016 affected the branches of the armed forces. Since then, the PLA has five branches of service: the Ground Forces, the Navy, the Air Force, the Missile Forces and the Strategic Support Forces. The ratio between the branches of the military is changing: the last reduction in the number of the PLA by 300 thousand people will primarily affect the non-combat units of the ground forces, and the freed funds will be used to strengthen the fleet and aviation. In addition to the five branches of service, the PLA is supported by two paramilitary organizations: the People's Armed Militia and the PLA Militia.

Ground troops

Chinese foot soldiers

China has the world's largest land force, currently over 1.6 million. The ground forces are divided among five Combat Command Zones. During mobilization, Ground Forces can be reinforced with reserves and paramilitary formations. The reserves of the Ground Forces are about 500 thousand people, reduced to 30 infantry and 12 anti-aircraft divisions. At least 40 percent of the ground forces are mechanized and armored.

While the infantry component of the Ground Forces is being reduced, the science-intensive elements are increasing. They include Special Forces, Army Aviation, Air Defense, Electronic Warfare, Drones, Precision Tactical Missiles, Navigation and Satellite Communications and Mobile Command and Control Centers.

Navy

The destroyer "Lanzhou"

Until the early 1990s, the Navy performed a secondary function in relation to the Ground Forces. Since then, he began to rapidly modernize. The number of personnel is 255 thousand people, united in three fleets: the North Sea Fleet with headquarters in Qingdao, the East Sea Fleet with headquarters in Ningbo and the South Sea Fleet with headquarters in Zhanjiang. Each fleet consists of surface ships, submarines, naval aviation, marines and coastal defense units.

The Navy includes a Marine Corps of 10,000 men consolidated into two brigades, naval aviation of 26,000 men armed with several hundred aircraft and helicopters, and coastal defense units of 25,000 men. As part of the modernization, new ships are being built that are capable of performing tasks in any part of the oceans.

Air Force

Attack helicopter Harbin Zhen-19

The 398,000-strong PLA Air Force is organized into 24 air divisions and divided among five Combat Command Zones. The largest unit is the air division, which consists of two or three air regiments, each with 20 to 36 aircraft. Anti-aircraft installations are formed into anti-aircraft divisions and brigades. In addition, the Air Force has three Airborne Divisions.

Rocket troops

Until 2016, the Rocket Forces were called the Second Artillery Corps, and after that they became a separate branch of the military. The Rocket Forces include strategic missiles with conventional and nuclear warheads. China's total stockpile of nuclear weapons is estimated at 100 to 400 warheads. The number of personnel is about 100 thousand people, reduced to six missile divisions, and from 15 to 20 missile brigades.

Strategic Support Troops

Strategic support troops are a new type of troops, they appeared only on December 31, 2015. There is very little open information about them, they include intelligence, navigation, space warfare, cyber warfare, information warfare and other high-tech ways to achieve local superiority.

Combat Command Zones

PLA Combat Command Zones

From 1985 to 2016, the PLA had seven military districts as territorial divisions. On February 1, 2016, they were upgraded to five Combat Command Zones. The leadership of the combat command zones reports directly to the Central Military Council and manages under its command all the ground, air, sea and auxiliary forces in the territory under its control, ensuring closer interaction between the military branches.

Eastern Combat Command Zone

It is located in the East of the country and is focused on the capture of Taiwan in the event of a military solution to the Taiwan crisis. It occupies the provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangxi, Anhui and the city of Shanghai. The headquarters of the unified command of the zone is in Nanjing, the headquarters of the ground forces is in Fuzhou, the headquarters of the East Sea Fleet is in Ningbo. Includes the 1st, 12th, and 31st Armies, the East Sea Fleet, the Fujian Provincial Military Region, the Shanghai garrison, district subordinate units, and provincial reserve units.

Southern Combat Command Zone

It is located in the South and South-East of the country and is focused on Vietnam, Indochina and the resolution of the conflict in the South China Sea, and is also a reserve for the eastern zone. It occupies the provinces of Yunnan, Guizhou, Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Hainan and the special regions of Hong Kong and Macau. The headquarters of the joint command is located in Guangzhou, the headquarters of the ground forces is in Nanning, the headquarters of the South Sea Fleet is in Zhanjiang. It includes the 14th, 41st and 42nd armies, the South Sea Fleet, the Hainan Provincial Military Region, the garrisons of Hong Kong and Macau, units of district subordination and reserve units of the provinces.

Western Combat Command Zone

Located in the West of China and focused on India, Central Asia and Mongolia. It occupies the provinces of Qinghai, Gansu, Sichuan, the autonomous regions of Xinjiang, Tibet and Ningxia, as well as the city of Chongqing. The headquarters of the unified command is in Chengdu, the headquarters of the ground forces is in Lanzhou. Includes the 13th, 21st and 47th armies, the Xinjiang and Tibetan provincial military districts with a special status, units of district subordination and reserve units of the provinces.

Northern Combat Command Zone

Located in the North and Northeast of China and focused on Mongolia, Russia and the Korean Peninsula, as well as Japan. It occupies the provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Shandong and the Autonomous Region of Inner Mongolia. The headquarters of the joint command is located in Shenyang, the headquarters of the ground forces is in Jinan, the headquarters of the North Sea Fleet is in Qingdao. Includes the 16th, 26th, 39th and 40th armies, the North Sea Fleet, the provincial military district of Inner Mongolia, units of district subordination and reserve units of the provinces.

Combat Command Central Area

It occupies the outskirts of Beijing and the center of the country, the strongest zone in China with the most modern weapons and mobile parts, is a reserve for other zones, and also protects the capital. It occupies the provinces of Hebei, Henan, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Hubei, the cities of Beijing and Tianjin. The headquarters of the unified command is in Beijing, the headquarters of the ground forces is in Shijiazhuang. Includes the 20th, 27th, 38th, 54th and 65th armies, the garrisons of Beijing and Tianjin, units of district subordination and reserve units of the provinces.

Military uniform

Military uniform Type-07

Military uniform Type-07

Military uniform Type-07 (07式军服) was adopted in 2007, the most modern at the moment. The Type-07 military uniform is a development of the Type-87 uniform, with a reduction in the types of decorations used. The officer uniform contains a plate with the name and surname, a badge of the degree of qualification and a cord for wearing orders, officers and soldiers wear breast and sleeve badges, only soldiers wear a badge of a person liable for military service. The summer uniform has short sleeves. The 八一 emblems, the silhouette of the Great Wall of China, a spear and shield, a wing and an anchor are used as uniform decorations.

Military uniform Type-97

Military uniform Type-97

In 1993, the development of a new military uniform intended for use in the 21st century began. The new uniform retained the advantages of the Type-87 uniform, and the strengths of the military uniforms of other states were added to it. Compared to the Type-87 uniform, the design, materials and dyes used, and decorations were improved. The main color of the uniform of the ground forces is green, naval - white, air - blue. Form Type-97 was adopted on May 1, 1997. The first to receive it were the garrisons of Hong Kong, Macau, and parts of the PLA stationed abroad.

Military uniform Type-87

Military uniform Type-87

In the 1980s, large-scale reforms began in the PRC, the total power of the state increased, and the old military uniform ceased to match in style and quality of materials. On January 1, 1984, even before the approval of the Type-85 form, the development of a new line of parade, everyday and training military uniforms began. In November 1985, a general meeting was held, at which representatives of the troops indicated the requirements for the style, materials and paints used, and the supply and supply system. In July 1987, the new form was presented to the leadership of the Communist Party and the country, and in August it was adopted, and from October 1988 it began to enter the troops.

Military uniform Type-85

Military uniform Type-85

On March 20, 1980, at an enlarged meeting of the Central Military Council, a decision was made to restore the military ranks abolished during the Cultural Revolution. To implement this decision, in 1981, work began on a new military uniform, which received the unofficial name "Form of military ranks." On May 1, 1985, the uniform was approved and put into service as the Military Uniform Type-85 (85式军服). The Type-85 uniform is based on the 1955 military uniform. The red buttonholes have been removed from the uniform. Soldiers and officers wear hats with visors, women wear caps. The coat of arms of the armed forces, shoulder straps and the sign of the branch of service are worn on the uniform. The summer uniform has short sleeves.

Army cuts

Since the victory in the civil war and the formation of the PRC, the number of the PLA has been constantly declining, although it remains the largest army in the world. At the same time, the level of training of troops and technical equipment is constantly improving, and the combat potential of the Chinese army is steadily growing.

First cut (1950)

By the time of the proclamation of the PRC on October 1, 1949, the number of the PLA was 5.5 million people. These were ground forces, which were based on peasants armed with rifles, there were very few mechanized units, there were no air force and navy. In April 1950, the Central Committee of the party decided to reduce the size of the army to 4 million people. However, in connection with the outbreak of the Korean War, work on the reduction was canceled, and the size of the army was increased to 6.27 million people - the largest number in the history of the PRC and the PLA.

Second cut (1952)

In 1951, a large-scale operation to eradicate banditry in the country was completed, the Korean War also entered the stage of a truce, the situation in China stabilized, and prerequisites appeared for a new reduction in troops. By the end of 1952, when the work on the reduction was completed, the number of PLA was 4 million people.

Third cut (1953)

Chinese soldiers leave Korea

In 1953, the Korean War ended, success was also achieved in the fight against rebels within the PRC, and the Central Military Council at a meeting on August 28, 1953 decided to reduce the army again. The drawdown was completed in 1955, and the size of the army reached 3.2 million.

Fourth cut (1956)

In September 1956, at the Eighth National Congress of the CPC, a decision was made to reduce the share of military spending in the PRC. To implement this decision, the Central Military Council at an expanded meeting in January 1957 decided to reduce the army by one third. The ordering of the army was completed at the end of 1958, the number was 2.4 million people, and the share of the fleet and aviation in the army increased to 32%.

Fifth cut (1975)

During the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s and 1970s, the military expanded again, reaching 6.1 million by 1975. In order to reduce the greatly bloated army, the Central Military Council decided in June and July 1975 to reduce the army by 600,000 soldiers over the next three years. However, with the beginning of the "French for the rehabilitation of the fight against the right deviation", the work on the reduction was canceled.

Sixth cut (1980)

In March 1980, the Central Military Council decided to reform the army, the administrative apparatus was reduced, and the provincial military districts were abolished.

Seventh cut (1982)

In September 1982, the Central Military Council issued decrees on the reassignment of a number of units, as well as the reduction of the army to 4 million people.

Eighth cut (1985)

On July 11, 1985, the Central Military Council ordered a new reduction of 1 million soldiers. The drawdown was completed in 1987, bringing the PLA to 3 million. At the same time, electronic warfare units were introduced into the troops, and the number of mechanized units for the first time exceeded the number of infantry.

Ninth cut (1997)

In September 1997, at the Fifteenth National Congress of the CPC, it was decided to reduce the army by another 500,000 people, to 2.5 million soldiers. The reduction was completed in 1999.

Tenth cut (2003)

In 2003, a new reduction was announced, by 200,000 people. By 2005, the PLA had 2.3 million soldiers.

Eleventh cut (2015)

On September 3, 2015, at the parade dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II and the victory over Japan, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced the reduction of the army by 300,000 people. Upon completion of this reduction, the PLA will have a strength of 2 million.