Organisation

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) – the collective name for the armed forces of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) – is the world’s largest military force. The PLA encompasses four service branches: ground forces (the Army), the Navy, the Air Force, and the Second Artillery Corps (the Strategic Missile Force). Following the 200,000 troop reduction between 2003~2005, the total strength of the PLA is now 2.3 million. There are also 660,000 personnel serving in the paramilitary People’s Armed Police (PAP), and 1.2~1.5 million in the reserve forces and militia.

Ground Forces. Accounting for about 70% of the PLA’s total strength, the ground forces consist of 18 Group Armies (GA), which contain among them some 29 infantry divisions (including 9 mechanised infantry divisions), 25 infantry brigades (including 6 mechanised infantry brigades), 9 armoured divisions, 8 armoured brigades, 2 artillery divisions, 17 artillery brigades, 18 antiaircraft artillery/air-defence missile brigades, and 10 army aviation (helicopter) regiments.

Navy. The 250,000-man People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) is organised into three fleets: the North Sea Fleet headquartered at Qingdao, the East Sea Fleet headquartered at Ningbo, and the South Sea Fleet headquartered in Zhanjiang. Each fleet consists of a number of surface ship, submarine, naval aviation, coastal defence, and marine units.

Air Force. The People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF), with its 250,000 personnel, is organised into 20 fighter divisions, 3 attacker divisions, 3 bomber divisions, 3 airlift divisions, and a number of specialised independent air regiments for aerial surveying, flight testing, reconnaissance, electronic warfare, and airborne early warning roles. The Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) Corps is organised into several SAM/AAA divisions and brigades. There are also three airborne divisions manned by the PLAAF.

Second Artillery Corps. The 100,000 strategic missile force has a total of 15~20 missile launch brigades under 6 missile bases.

People’s Armed Police. There 330,000 men serving in the Internal Guards, 100,000 men serving in the Border Guards, and 230,000 men serving in the Fire-Fighting Troops.