Major mid-level reforms in the military

Reuters reports that President Xi Jinping has announced a major reorganization of the mid-level structure of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). This appears to be the beginning of a second step of military reform following the initial phase of rooting out high-level corruption and cementing Xi’s authority over the entire military. The new structure centers on 84 condensed military units, under the authority of the 15 military agencies established last year, with enhanced joint operations capability. Xinhua reports (in Chinese) that Xi’s announcement came with a list of four directives: to resolutely listen to the Party’s commands, to be ready for battle at any moment, to upgrade combat ability, and to cultivate a perfected combat style. The announcement also included an acknowledgement that the military is still undergoing a slimming of its troops by 300,000, which was initiated in 2015.

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