Mentioning that the People's Daily had published a book of commentaries in mid-November, the South China Morning Post (November 29) quoted military commentator Zhong Xin to say that the PLA had been “optimising” its personnel structure by deploying more troops to combat roles while cutting 300,000 positions. He said the military now had about 2 million personnel, down from a peak of more than 6 million in the midst of the Korean war in the 1950s. Stating that the number had already decreased to 2.3 million as a result of a series of overhauls and that Xi, who also heads the Central Military Commission, introduced a military modernisation plan in 2015, Zhong Xin said more work still needs to be done or the PLA’s ambitions will not be realised. He said “The military’s command system is not systematic, the army’s structure is not sound enough, and the policy system lags, seriously limiting the PLA’s defensive operations. If these problems are not resolved, plans to build a world-class modern military are just empty talk.” The South China Morning Post said a Chinese military source said resources for 300,000 troops had been allocated to frontline roles to encourage younger professionals to join the PLA. He also said most of the 300,000 positions shed were from non-combat units, including the now defunct general political, general logistics and general armaments departments, the five army groups, as well staff in veterans homes. The units that gained personnel came under the air force, the rocket force, and the strategic supporting force, among others, adding “The PLA airborne troop units were upgraded from division-level to brigades, while the number of pilots was also increased to support more new-generation fighter jets like the J-20s, J-16s, J-10Cs.” The South China Morning Post also reported earlier that the PLA planned to expand its marine corps from about 20,000 personnel to 100,000, increasing the number of brigades from two to 10. Some troops would be stationed at ports China operates in Djibouti in the Horn of Africa and Gwadar in southwest Pakistan. Xi’s goal is to turn the PLA into a modern fighting force by 2027, the PLA’s centennial, and a world-class military on a par with the United States by 2050. In another essay in the book, military commentator Liu Yantong said risks to China’s security were growing as it came under greater technological, economic and political pressure from a number of other countries. The country’s borders were also unresolved. He said “Right now, we are facing the threat of war. The army needs to be urgently aware that a war may happen overnight … We should be fully prepared and combat ready at all times”. Zhou Chenming, a researcher from the Yuan Wang military science and technology think tank in Beijing, said “The PLA used to be a traditional ground force-oriented military, but now the country’s overseas interests are expanding, with major security threats coming from the sea, then the air, and even the cyber world”, adding that overhauls to the various combat wings were still under way. He added “The Chinese military leadership also feels a strong sense of crisis when dealing with domestic issues. For example, the ongoing ageing problem has affected the PLA’s recruitment.”
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