China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) has embarked on its most wide-ranging and ambitiousrestructuring since 1949, including major changes to most of its key organizations.-The general departments were disbanded, new Central Military Commission (CMC)departments created, and a new ground force headquarters established.-Seven military regions were restructured into five theater commands aligned againstregional threats. Commanders will be able to develop joint force packages from...
More DescriptionChina's People's Liberation Army (PLA) has embarked on its most wide-ranging and ambitiousrestructuring since 1949, including major changes to most of its key organizations.-The general departments were disbanded, new Central Military Commission (CMC)departments created, and a new ground force headquarters established.-Seven military regions were restructured into five theater commands aligned againstregional threats. Commanders will be able to develop joint force packages from army,navy, air force, and conventional missile units within their theaters.-PLA service headquarters are transitioning to an exclusive focus on "organize, train,and equip" missions and will no longer have a primary role in conducting operations.However, the PLA is still figuring out how the new relationships among the CMC, services,and theaters will work in practice. The restructuring will also reduce the size of the PLA by 300,000 soldiers, cutting theground forces and increasing the size of the navy and air force.