Some appointments at senior echelons of the PLA have been reported recently which include the new unit designations for the 13 Group Armies, numbering from 71 to 84. The move has been interpreted as indicating Xi Jinping’s desire to tear down existing loyalty networks and entirely rebuild the army. The PLA’s unit designations carry history and esprit de corps, but the new designations will convey new allegiances. According to the PLA Daily, the number 71 represents July 1st or the Chinese Communist Party’s founding day thereby appearing to suggest that the Party leader is the PLA’s nucleus and not the regional commandants.

On July 15, 2017, CCTV's military channel telecast "Military Reports" said that former 26^th Group  Army Commander Lin Huimao was promoted as Commander of the 77^th Group Army on July 16, 2017.Lin Huimao has earlier served as Deputy Commander of the 42^nd Group  Army.

The report also stated that the deepening of national defense and military reform in the current round, is proceeding at a quick pace and that the Central Military Commission has decided that as part of the reforms process, the 18^th Group  Army will be retained but the 13^th Group Army will be readjusted. Readjustment of the 13^th Group Army's designations or structure will be  followed by those of the 71^st Group Army to 83^rd Group Army.

On July 15, Pengpai  news confirmed information about the appointments of 15 military and political officials of the PLA’s eleven Group Armies. These include: 71^st Group  Army Commander Wang Yinfang; Political Commissar Xu Deqing; 72nd Group Army Political Commissar Wang Wenquan; 73rd Group Army Political Commissar Yang Cheng; 74^th Group  Army Commander Xu Xianghua; Political Commissar Liu Hongjun; 75^th Group  Army Political Commissar Qin Shutong; 76^th Group Army Commander Major General Fan Zhicai (previously had a long career in the 14th group army of Yunnan Province, a subtropical region very different from his present assignment in Tibet) and Political Commissar Zhang Hongbing (served mostly in Henan Province, famous for its open plains); 77^th Group  Army Commander Jun Lin Huomao; 78^th Group  Army Commander Wu Yannan; 80th Group Army Commander Wang Xiubin and Political Commissar Zhu Yuwu; 81^st  Group Army Political Commissar Fang Yongxiang; and the 83^rd Group Army Commander Xie Zenggang.

It also disclosed that the former  Political Commissar of the 16^th Group Army Lu Shaoping has been appointed Political Commissar of the  83rd Group Army.

The oficial Anhui media online news reported on August 9, 2017, that the Anhui Provincial Military Party Committee held its Eleventh  Plenary Session in Hefei. Provincial Military Region Party Secretary and Political Commissar Dai Yong and the provincial Military Commander Yang Zheng attended and spoke. It said the member of the Provincial Military Region Party Committee Standing Committee and Director of the Political Work Department Lei Muping conveyed the spirit of the Eastern Conference Party committee meeting. Provincial Military District Party Committee Standing Committee members Lu Xinyun, Xu Jilong, Nan Xiaomin, Yang Xuelun, Wang Chuanzeng and the provincial military district party committee members and provincial military authorities participated in the meeting. The official news reported also that the former Deputy Commander of the Hainan Provincial Military Region, Yang Zheng has been promoted as Major General and Commander of the Anhui Military Region

(Comment: Major General Yang Zheng has previously served as Deputy Chief of Staff of the 41st group army. In 2013 he was transferred to the Hainan Provincial Military District as Chief of Staff and in April 2017, he was appointed Deputy Commander of the Hainan Provincial Military Region.)

It is also reported that Wu Yafei has been promoted as the Jiangxi Military Region Commander to take over from Zhang Xiaoming.

(Comment: Each Group Army has combat and non-combat units divided into the following: infantry, armor, artillery, anti-aircraft warfare, anti-chemical warfare, cyber warfare, army aviation, engineer, communications, transportation, pontoon bridge construction, education and training, military hospitals, and arts troupe. The size of a group army varies from 30,000 to 80,000 men.)