Jinan Military Region
(Jinan Military Area Command, Jinan War Zone)

Last updated: 17 January 2008

The Jinan Military Region (MR), or Jinan Military Area Command (MAC), is headquartered in Jinan City, Shandong Province. Its area of responsibilities (AOR) includes the two eastern provinces of Shandong and Henan, and the Yellow Sea. It is the smallest amongst the PLA’s seven military regions and has no land border with a foreign country. The main responsibility of the Jinan MR is to defend the strategically crucial Shandong Peninsula east of Beijing, and to serve as a strategic reserve, with its forces ready to be deployed to the north, west, or south as required.

In 2004, the Jinan MR was chosen by the PLA headquarters to pilot its “Great Joint Logistics” scheme, aiming to streamline the PLA’s logistics system and reduce costs. The new system was reported to have great improvement in efficiency, demonstrated during the 2005 Peace Mission Sino-Russia joint exercise and the Queshan 2006 and 2007 ground forces exercise.

The Jinan MR has three group armies (20th, 26th, and 54th) and two provincial military districts. The 54th Group Army (GA) is one of PLA’s most elite group armies, serving as part of the “Rapid Reaction Units” that can be quickly deployed anywhere within the country without significant train-up and augmentation.