People's Liberation Army Ground Force

The People's Liberation Army Ground Force (PLAGF), also referred to as the PLA Army, is the land warfare service branch of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), and also its largest and oldest branch. The PLAGF traces its lineage to 1927 as the Chinese Red Army; however, it was not officially established until 1948.

History

In February 1949, the existing large number of armies and divisions were regularized into up to seventy armies of three divisions each. While some, such as the 1st Army, survived for over fifty years, a number were quickly amalgamated and disestablished in the early 1950s. It appears that twenty per cent or even more of the seventy new armies were disestablished up to 1953; in 1952 alone, the 3rd, 4th, 10th, 17th, 18th, and 19th Armies were disbanded.

The PLAGF consist of conventionally armed main and regional units, which in 1987 made up over 70 percent of the PLA. It provided a good conventional defense, but in 1987 had only limited offensive potential and was poorly equipped for nuclear, biological, or chemical warfare. Main forces included about 35 group armies, comprising 118 infantry divisions, 13 armored divisions, and 33 artillery and antiaircraft artillery divisions, plus 71 independent regiments and 21 independent battalions of mostly support troops. Regional forces consisted of 73 divisions of border defense and garrison troops plus 140 independent regiments.

Under the old system, a field army consisted of three partially motorized infantry divisions and two regiments of artillery and anti-aircraft artillery. While the size of the PLA Ground Force has been reduced over the past few decades, technology-intensive elements such as special operations forces (SOF), army aviation (helicopters), surface-to-air missiles (SAMs), and electronic warfare units have all been rapidly expanded.

The latest operational doctrine of the PLAGF highlights the importance of information technology, electronic and information warfare, and long-range precision strikes in future warfare. The older generation telephone/radio-based command, control, and communications (C3) systems are being replaced by integrated battlefield information networks featuring local/wide-area networks (LAN/WAN), satellite communications, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-based surveillance and reconnaissance systems, and mobile command and control centers.

After the 2017 reforms, the PLAGF Headquarter structure is a follows:

Functional Departments

Staff Department (参谋部)
PLA Ground Force Political Work Department (政治工作部)
PLA Ground Force Logistics Department (后勤部)
PLA Ground Force Equipment Department (装备部)
Supervision Commission (Commission for Discipline Inspection)

Theater Command Ground Force Units

Eastern Theater Command
71st Group Army, Xuzhou
72nd Group Army, Huzhou
73rd Group Army, Xiamen
Southern Theater Command, Nanning
74th Group Army, Huizhou
75th Group Army, Kunming
Western Theater Command, Lanzhou
76th Group Army, Xining
77th Group Army, Chengdu
Northern Theater Command, Jinan
78th Group Army, Harbin
79th Group Army, Liaoyang
80th Group Army, Weifang
Central Theater Command, Shijiazhuang
81st Group Army, Zhangjiakou
82nd Group Army, Baoding
83rd Group Army, Xinxiang

Directly Subordinate Military Districts

Xinjiang Military District
Tibet Military District
Beijing Garrison

Directly Subordinate Units

Baicheng Ordnance Test Center (31st Experimental Research Base)
Huayin Weapons Testing Center (32nd Experimental Research Base)
Army Research Institute
Dog Training Base

Subordinate Academic Institutions

Ground Force Command College
Army Engineering University of the PLA
Army Infantry College of the PLA
Army Academy of Armored Forces
PLA Army Academy of Artillery and Air Defense
Army Aviation Academy
Army Special Operations Academy
Army Academy of Border and Coastal Defence
Army Institute of NBC Defence
Army Medical University
Army Logistics Academy
Army Military Transportation University

Branches of service

The PLAGF has a standing regular army and a reserve force. Although conscription is employed in China by law, mandatory military service has not been implemented since 1949, as the People's Liberation Army has been able to recruit sufficient numbers voluntarily. Chinese militia is not a component of the People's Liberation Army, however, they could provide a certain degree of reserve function, which was indicated by "Militia Military Training and Evaluation Outline" released by the People's Liberation Army General Staff Department in 2007. The Militia is however explicitly not part of the formal Reserve since the passing of the 2022 Reservist Law.

PLAGF branches of service () are composed of light infantry, mechanized infantry, armour, artillery, air defense, aviation, engineering, CBRN, communications, special operations, logistics, reconnaissance, electronic warfare, and unmanned aerial vehicles. These branches of service have their respective military education institutions.

Operational structure

PLA operational structure reflects China's strategic missions, political environment, and geographical circumstances.

The PLA heavy, medium, and light combined arms brigades share a modular construct, resembling its superior and subordinate units at the corps and battalion level. A typical PLAGF combined arms brigade has the brigade HQ, four maneuver combat battalions, and other support battalions. For instance, a heavy combined arms brigade includes four combined arms battalions (), one artillery battalion, one air defense battalion, one reconnaissance battalion, one combat support battalion, and one sustainment battalion.

Before the 2015 reform, the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) attributes the PLA Ground Force with nine active armored divisions consisting of a number of armored brigades, 25 infantry divisions (mechanized or motorized), organized into a number of infantry brigades, and 8 artillery divisions, also organized into field artillery brigades. Dennis Blasko wrote in 2000 that the traditional structure of PLA divisions (armored and mechanized) consisted roughly of three regiments – tuan () – of the main service arm, each of three battalions () plus support units, a fourth regiment/brigade of infantry (in an armored division) or armor (in an infantry division), a field artillery regiment, an anti-aircraft defense regiment or battalion, and signals, engineer, reconnaissance, and chemical defense battalions or companies, plus combat service support units.

File:Robert Gates Meets Cao.jpg|U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates greets Chinese Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan in Beijing, China on 5 November 2007

File:0B6X7826 (8200668796).jpg|Military guard of the PLAGF in 2012

File:The military parade in honor of the 70-th anniversary of the end of the Second world war 04.jpg|PLAGF infantrymen at the 2015 China Victory Day Parade

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Personnel

Commissioned officers

The current system of officer ranks and insignia was established in 1988. There are several paths to becoming a commissioned officer, such as joining a military academy, attending a reserve officer program, or a cadre selection program.

Officers may use Comrade to formally address another member of the military ("comrade" plus rank or position, as in "comrade Colonel", "comrade battalion leader", or simply "comrade(s)" when lacking information about the person's rank, or talking to several service people.)

Enlisted personnel

The current system of other ranks and insignia dates from 2022. Sergeant and Corporal are referred to as non-commissioned officers. New recruits have no military ranks before the boot camp is completed, and they will be awarded the rank of private after they have graduated from the induction training.

Conscripts can be promoted to private first class in their second year. At the end of two years, conscripts may retire or become NCOs if they volunteer, though the position requires at least a high school diploma, specialized skills, or undertaking training courses. They can also attend a military academy to become officers after evaluations. Air assets within the aviation brigade include Z-10 attack helicopter, Z-19 recon helicopter, and Z-20 utility helicopter, etc. Unmanned aerial systems are employed extensively in PLA formations of all types.

At combined arms brigade level, brigade HQ can deploy various combined arms battalions composited with tanks, assault guns, and infantry fight vehicles (IFV) such as the ZTZ-99A tank, the ZBD-04A IFV, the ZBL-08 IFV, the ZTL-11 assault gun, and the CSK-181 MRAP fast-attack vehicle. Fire support, reconnaissance, and air defense battalion are equipped with PLZ-07, PLL-09, PCL-161/171 self-propelled artilleries, PHL-11, PHZ-11 multiple rocket launchers, AFT-9/10 missile carriers, PGZ-09/95, PGL-12/625, HQ-17/A air defense systems, and such as large amount of unmanned aerial vehicles.

At battalion level, battalion HQ can direct tank company, assault gun company, mechanized infantry company, and firepower company () to provide rapid close-combat maneuver, with support assets including the PCP-001 rapid-firing mortar, PLL-05/PLZ-10 self-propelled gun-mortars, AFT-8 missile carrier, MANPADS, and crew-served weapon systems such as QJG-85 heavy machine gun, PP-87 or newer PBP-172 mortar, QLZ-04 automatic grenade launcher, and HJ-8E wire-guided missile.

Under each mechanized infantry company are standard infantry platoons and a firepower platoon (), which is equipped with lightweight mortar, anti-material rifle, 35 mm automatic grenade launcher, various rocket launcher, and heavy machine gun. At platoon level, a mechanized infantry squad consists of nine infantrymen, in which seven members are dismounted during combat. Infantry squads vary in composition based on the type of combined arms battalions. Medium and light infantry squads equip reusable rocket launchers to improve anti-armor and anti-fortification capability, whereas heavy infantry squads have no squad-level rockets, instead relying upon fire support from the firepower platoon, or their own ZBD-04A infantry fighting vehicle.

PF-89, PF-97, and DZJ-08 disposable rocket launchers could be distributed on an ad hoc basis to infantry squads for direct-fire applications. Specialized fire support weapons, often equipped with dedicated rocketeers, or members of the firepower platoons, include the HJ-12 anti-tank guided missile, PF-98 rocket launcher, the QLZ-87 and QLZ-04 35 mm automatic grenade launcher, the QBU-10 anti-material rifle, QLU-11 sniper grenade launcher, QJG-02 anti-air machine gun, QJZ-89 heavy machine gun, and the PP-89/93 60 mm mortar. Prior to 2015, only deployed special operation detachments were equipped with body armor.

The infantry equipment such as heavy body armor, personal radio, and knee pads has been seen in the standard kit in 2015 when PLA are deployed into high-risk areas, as observed for units participating in UN Peacekeeping and counter-piracy operations. The PLA has started to procure body armors for soldiers on large scale since March 2020, with 1.4 million body armor on order, which includes 930,000 units of plates for universal bulletproof vests and 467,000 units of plates for an enhanced bulletproof vest.

The Type 19 uniform with new xingkong digital camouflage patterns, tactical vest, backpack, protective gear, and eyewear started to replace Type 07 uniform series since 2019. Along with the uniform, a new communication system, personal computer, tactical interface, and assault rifle family QBZ-191, new variants of the QSZ-92 pistol family, along with whole new sets of weapon systems are also being adopted by the PLAGF since 2019. These new upgrades are components of the new Integrated Soldier Combat System, a program aiming to overhaul the PLA's infantry equipment.

Transformation

In 1987, the PLAGF, which relied upon obsolescent but serviceable equipment, were most anxious to improve defenses against armored vehicles and aircraft.

Equipment summary

The PLAGF inventory maintains an array of military vehicles. All figures below are provided by the International Institute for Strategic Studies. Auxiliary vehicles such as engineering vehicles, logistics vehicles, reconnaissance vehicles, as well as antiquated and reserved equipment are not included.

{| class="wikitable"

!Type

!Active

|Main battle tanks || 4,700

|Light tanks || 1,250

|Assault guns || 1,200

|Infantry fighting vehicles || 8,060

|Armored personnel carriers || 3,600

|Amphibious armored vehicles || 750

|Anti-tank missile carriers || 1,125

|Tank destroyers || 480

|Towed anti-tank guns || 1,308

|Self-propelled artillery || 3,240<

|Towed artillery || 900

|Self-propelled gun-mortars || 1,250

|Multiple rocket launchers || 1,390+

|Surface-to-air missile systems || 754+

|Self-propelled anti-aircraft guns || 270

|Towed anti-aircraft guns || 7,126+

|Attack helicopters || 320+

|Multi-role helicopters || 208

|Transport helicopters || 512

File:Chinese ZTL-11.jpg|alt=vehicle with painted camouflage|ZLT-11 assault vehicle

File:PLZ-05 Self-Propelled Artillery 20170919.jpg|alt=Vehicle with Self-Propelled Artillery|PLZ-05 self-propelled howitzer

File:PHL-03 Multiple rocket launchers 20170902.jpg|alt=Multiple rocket launchers|PHL-03 multiple rocket launcher

File:ZBD-04A IFV 20170716.jpg |ZBD-04A infantry fighting vehicle

File:Десантирование участников конкурса "Эльбрусское кольцо" с вертолетов Ми-8 с последующим совершением горного марша (18).jpg|alt=Two soldier holding assault rifles|Infantrymen with QBZ-95

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Relationship with other organizations

right|250px|thumb|Troops of the [[People's Armed Police]]

The People's Liberation Army Ground Force maintains close relationships with several paramilitary organizations within China, primarily the People's Armed Police (PAP) and the Militia (also known as the China Militia). Both of these paramilitary organizations act as a reserve force for the PLAGF during a time of national emergency such as war or natural disaster. The PAP consists of approximately 1.5 million personnel. Their primary mission during peacetime is internal security and counter-terrorism.

The Militia is a paramilitary force engaged under the control of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and forms part of the Chinese armed forces. Under the command of the military organs, it undertakes such jobs as war preparation services, security and defense operation tasks and assistance in maintaining social order and public security. The Militia numbers some 3 million service men and women.