Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the People’s Liberation Army has been streamlined and reorganized several times in accordance with changes in the situation and tasks. The larger ones are as follows:
The streamlining and reorganization of the national defense forces during the construction of the integrated service and arms
After the founding of New China, the focus of the party’s work began to shift to economic recovery and national construction. In February 1950, the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee decided to conduct a large-scale streamlining and reorganization of the army. Due to the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, the streamlining and reorganization plan failed to materialize. By October 1951, the total number of the army was expanded to more than 6.2 million.
After the Korean battlefield situation was basically stable, the People’s Liberation Army continued to streamline and reorganize. By the end of October 1952, the number of the entire army had been reduced to more than 4 million.
Towards a million-dollar disarmament of “strengthening, synthesis, and efficiency”
After the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, national defense and army building entered a new historical period. In 1985, the Central Military Commission put forward a strategic change in the guiding ideology of army building, making full use of the peace period when major wars cannot be fought, and implementing a fine-grained policy under the premise of obeying the overall situation of the country’s economic construction, and reducing the number of military personnel by 1 million. The massive disarmament that has attracted worldwide attention has enabled the people’s army to take a big step forward in the areas of improved troops, synthesis, and high efficiency, and a new step has been taken in the regularization of the army.
Streamlined and reorganized under the military revolution with Chinese characteristics
In order to advance the military reform with Chinese characteristics and take the road of elite troops with Chinese characteristics, from the second half of 1992 to the end of 1994, the establishment of the entire military was initially adjusted and streamlined. In 1997, the 15th National Congress of the Communist Party of China decided to reduce the number of military personnel by 500,000. By the end of 1999, the number of military personnel had been reduced to 2.5 million.
Simplification and reorganization during the period of carrying out the historical mission of the army in the new stage of the new century
In 2004, the Central Military Commission proposed that the basis of military struggle preparations should be to win local wars under conditions of informatization, and the establishment of the military system was adjusted and reformed, and the People’s Liberation Army reduced its staff by 200,000.
The adjustment of military system establishment under the goal of strengthening the army in the new era
On September 3, 2015, President Xi announced in his speech at the meeting to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War: China will cut 300,000 military posts. As a result, the People’s Liberation Army has carried out a series of reforms of the military’s leadership and command system, scale structure, and force composition. National defense and military reforms have made historic breakthroughs, forming a new pattern of military commission management, theater main battles, and service leadership, and the people’s army organizational structure. And the power system achieves a revolutionary reshaping.