People's Armed Police Internal Guard Troops
Last updated: 27 June 2008
 |
|
| PAP Internal Guard Troops patrolling on the Tiananmen Square (Chinese Internet) |
|
| |
|
The PAP Internal Guard Troops (wujing neiwei budui) is the largest branch of the People’s Armed Police (PAP) force, totaling some 330,000 personnel, or half of the PAP's total strength. The current Internal Guard Troops was formed in 1982, when the Chinese leadership decided to transfer the PLA’s Internal Defence Units to the newly formed PAP force, but it trace its linage back to the People’s Public Security Force established in 1949. Although the force’s name, affiliation and organisational structure have changed many times over the years, the core functions of the Internal Guard Troops have always remained the same.
In peacetime, the Internal Guard Troops is tasked with three main responsibilities: guarding key state institutions and urban areas, dealing with emergencies and maintaining state security and social stability, and counter-terrorism operations. The Internal Guard Troops is made up of two types of units: static units that guard specific targets or areas, and mobile units dealing with emergencies and crisis. At the national level, the PAP Headquarters also controls 14 mobile divisions, which are light infantry units capable of rapid deployment.
| |
 |
| |
PAP Internal Guard Troops guarding the foreign embassy (Chinese Internet) |
| |
|
Static units are generally responsible for guarding the premises of party branches and government organisations at the province-level and above, foreign embassies and consulates, prisons and detention centres, large airports, bridges and tunnels on railway routes and highways, radio and TV stations, national telecommunications installations, large depots of food and materials, and the key areas of large-scale industrial enterprises and projects. Their duties also include escorting convicts and prisoners, assisting local public security (police) force in law enforcement, conducting armed patrol and inspections in metropolitan areas, and assisting in floods and fire incidents.
Mobile units of the Internal Guard Troops are normally on high alert, ready to respond to any terrorism activities, emergency, as well as “mass incidents”, such as rebellions, unrests, demonstrations, rioting, and clashes. In addition to standard military issue small arms, these units are also equipped with non-lethal weapons and equipments such as water cannon and tear gas. They are also receiving professional training in riot-control, counter-terrorism, anti-hijacking, hostage rescue, bomb disposal, large public event security, and VIP protection. The Internal Guard Troops also has specialised “Special Police Units” (SPU) for counter-terrorism and anti-hijacking operations.
| |
 |
| |
PAP Internal Guard Troops guarding the Tibet railway (Chinese Internet) |
| |
|
Organisation
The largest unit of the PAP Internal Guard Troops is a General Corps (zongdui). Each of China’s 32 provincial-level entities (provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities) has a General Corps assigned to it. A PAP General Corps normally has 15,000~30,000 personnel, and is headed by a PAP major general. The Internal Guard Troops does not have a unified national headquarters. Instead, the leadership of each general corps falls under the local government and party committee of the provincial-level entity in which it is stationed.
A PAP General Corps normally comprises a number of detachments (zhidui), which are equivalent to a PLA brigade or regiment in administrative hierarchy. A detachment is headed by either a PAP Senior Colonel or a PAP Colonel. A statically stationed detachment is responsible for protecting the prefecture-level entity (prefecture, prefecture-level city, league, and autonomous prefecture) it is stationed in. A mobile detachment does not have a specific area of responsibility and is ready to be deployed anywhere within the province.
| |
 |
| |
PAP Internal Guard Troops securing the city centre of Lhasa after the riot in March 2008 (Chinese Internet) |
| |
|
In response to the growing secessionist movement in Xinjiang, the PAP troops in Xinjiang have been expanded significantly since the early 1990s. Currently there are two “Deputy-Army Level” units: the PAP Xinjiang General Corps and the PAP Command of the Xnjiang Production and Construction Corps (PCC). The Xinjiang General Corps is equipped with some heavy equipments including armoured personnel carriers (APC) and helicopters.
PAP Mobile Divisions
As a part of its 500,000-man reduction programme of 1996~2000, the PLA transferred fourteen of its “Class-B” infantry divisions with lower readiness and manning level to the PAP. These divisions take direct order from the PAP Headquarters in Beijing, ready to mobilise with short notice and capable of rapid deployment by railways or roads.
It is not clear how the PAP intends to use its mobile divisions. One can compare these units with the Russian Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affair (VVMVD) in terms of functions and equipments. Their most important mission is to respond any internal disorder that might threaten the regime’s political stability.
| |
 |
| |
PAP mobile division soldiers in field combat exercise (Chinese Internet) |
| |
|
The mobile divisions are composed of light infantry alone with no artillery or tanks. They are mainly equipped with small arms, rocket launchers, recoilless guns and mortars, and therefore can be rapidly deployed by air if necessary. For short-distance manoeuvre, these divisions are equipped with trucks and other motor vehicles.
Currently there are 14 mobile divisions:
- 8610 Unit (117th Division)
- 8620 Unit (120th Division)
- 8630 Unit (81st Division)
- 8640 Unit (114th Division)
- 8650 Unit (187th Division)
- 8660 Unit (7th Division)
- 8670 Unit (63rd Division)
- 8680 Unit (128th Division)
- 8690 Unit (2nd Division)
- 8710 Unit (93rd Division)
- 8720 Unit (181st Division)
- 8730 Unit (126th Division)
- 8740 Unit (38th Division)
- 8750 Unit (41st Division)
See Also
|
