Editing People's Liberation Army (section)

=== Services ===
The PLA maintains four services ({{Zh|s=军种|p=jūnzhǒng}}): the Ground Force, the Navy, the Air Force, and the Rocket Force. Following the 200,000 and 300,000 personnel reduction announced in 2003 and 2005 respectively, the total strength of the PLA has been reduced from 2.5&nbsp;million to around 2&nbsp;million.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Wong |first1=Edward |last2=Perlez |first2=Jane |last3=Buckley |first3=Chris |date=2 September 2015 |title=China Announces Cuts of 300,000 Troops at Military Parade Showing Its Might |language=en-US |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/03/world/asia/beijing-turns-into-ghost-town-as-it-gears-up-for-military-parade.html |url-status=live |url-access=limited |access-date=10 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150902221802/http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/03/world/asia/beijing-turns-into-ghost-town-as-it-gears-up-for-military-parade.html |archive-date=2 September 2015 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The reductions came mainly from non-combat ground forces, which would allow more funds to be diverted to naval, air, and strategic missile forces. This shows China's shift from ground force prioritization to emphasizing air and naval power with high-tech equipment for offensive roles over [[Territorial disputes of the People's Republic of China|disputed territories]], particularly in the [[Territorial disputes in the South China Sea|South China Sea]].<ref name="areas">[http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0000911699 China plans military reform to enhance its readiness] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140102191059/http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0000911699 |date=2 January 2014 }} – The-Japan-news.com</ref>

==== Ground Force ====
[[File:ZTZ-99A tank 20170902.jpg|thumb|A [[Type 99 tank|Type 99A]] main battle tank in service with the PLAGF]]
{{Main|People's Liberation Army Ground Force}}

The PLA Ground Force (PLAGF) is the largest of the PLA's five services with 975,000 active duty personnel, approximately half of the PLA's total manpower of around 2 million personnel.<ref name="Studies2020" />{{Rp|page=260}} The PLAGF is organized into twelve active duty group armies sequentially numbered from the [[71st Group Army]] to the [[83rd Group Army]] which are distributed to each of the PRC's five theatre commands, receiving two to three group armies per command. In wartime, numerous PLAGF [[Military reserve force|reserve]] and [[paramilitary]] units may be mobilized to augment these active group armies. The PLAGF [[People's Liberation Army Reserve Force|reserve]] component comprises approximately 510,000 personnel divided into thirty infantry and twelve anti-aircraft artillery (AAA) divisions. The PLAGF is led by Commander [[Liu Zhenli (general)|Liu Zhenli]] and Political Commissar [[Qin Shutong]].<ref>{{cite news |author1=Jia Nan ({{lang|zh|贾楠}}) |date=5 July 2021 |script-title=zh:4人晋升上将！ |language=zh |work=Sina |url=https://news.sina.com.cn/c/2021-07-05/doc-ikqcfnca5103262.shtml |access-date=6 July 2021 |archive-date=9 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709184318/https://news.sina.com.cn/c/2021-07-05/doc-ikqcfnca5103262.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref>

==== Navy ====
[[File:Maritime Interdiction Operations at RIMPAC 2016 160718-N-CA112-003.jpg|thumb|A PLAN [[destroyer]] conducting maritime interdiction operations at [[Exercise RIMPAC#RIMPAC 2016|RIMPAC 2016]]]]
{{Main|People's Liberation Army Navy}}

Until the early 1990s, the PLA Navy (PLAN) performed a subordinate role to the [[People's Liberation Army Ground Force|PLA Ground Force]] (PLAGF). Since then it has undergone rapid modernisation. The 300,000 strong PLAN is organized into three major fleets: the [[North Sea Fleet]] headquartered at [[Qingdao]], the [[East Sea Fleet]] headquartered at [[Ningbo]], and the [[South Sea Fleet]] headquartered in [[Zhanjiang]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Chi-yuk |first=Choi |date=27 May 2013 |title=PLA Navy's three fleets meet in South China Sea for rare show of force |work=[[South China Morning Post]] |url=http://eng.chinamil.com.cn/view/2018-05/03/content_8022441.htm |access-date=10 December 2022 |archive-date=10 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221210200844/http://eng.chinamil.com.cn/view/2018-05/03/content_8022441.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Each fleet consists of a number of [[surface ship]], [[submarine]], [[naval air force]], [[coastal defence and fortification|coastal defence]], and [[marine (military)|marine]] units.<ref>{{Cite report |url=https://www.oni.navy.mil/Portals/12/Intel%20agencies/China_Media/2015_PLA_NAVY_PUB_Print_Low_Res.pdf?ver=2015-12-02-081233-733 |title=The PLA Navy: New Capabilities and Missions for the 21st Century |date=2 December 2015 |publisher=[[Office of Naval Intelligence]] |location=Washington, D.C. |access-date=10 December 2022 |archive-date=10 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221210200842/https://www.oni.navy.mil/Portals/12/Intel%20agencies/China_Media/2015_PLA_NAVY_PUB_Print_Low_Res.pdf?ver=2015-12-02-081233-733 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Studies2020" />{{Rp|page=261}}

The navy includes a 25,000 strong [[People's Liberation Army Marine Corps|Marine Corps]] (organised into seven brigades), a 26,000 strong [[People's Liberation Army Naval Air Force|Naval Aviation Force]] operating several hundred attack helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft.<ref name="Studies2020" />{{Rp|pages=263–264}} As part of its overall programme of naval modernisation, the PLAN is in the stage of developing a [[blue water navy]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Farley |first=Robert |date=10 November 2021 |title=Does China Qualify as Having a True Blue Water Navy? |work=[[The National Interest]] |url=https://nationalinterest.org/blog/reboot/does-china-qualify-having-true-blue-water-navy-195958 |access-date=10 December 2022 |archive-date=11 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240211032859/https://nationalinterest.org/blog/reboot/does-china-qualify-having-true-blue-water-navy-195958 |url-status=live }}</ref> In November 2012, then Party General Secretary Hu Jintao reported to the CCP's [[18th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party|18th National Congress]] his desire to "enhance our capacity for exploiting marine resource and build China into a strong maritime power".<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.defensenews.com/global/asia-pacific/2018/07/03/china-launches-two-destroyers/|title = China launches two destroyers with tech similar to US Navy's Aegis system|date = 3 July 2018|access-date = 6 July 2018|archive-date = 15 February 2022|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220215065312/https://www.defensenews.com/global/asia-pacific/2018/07/03/china-launches-two-destroyers/|url-status = live}}</ref> According to the United States [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]], the PLAN has numerically the largest navy in the world.<ref>{{Cite book |last= |first= |url=https://media.defense.gov/2021/Nov/03/2002885874/-1/-1/0/2021-CMPR-FINAL.PDF |title=Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China 2020 Annual Report to Congress |date=2021-07-09 |publisher=[[U.S. Department of Defense]] |language=en |access-date=13 November 2022 |archive-date=9 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220709194903/https://media.defense.gov/2021/Nov/03/2002885874/-1/-1/0/2021-CMPR-FINAL.PDF |url-status=live }}</ref> The PLAN is led by Commander [[Dong Jun]] and Political Commissar [[Yuan Huazhi]].<ref>{{cite news |date=6 September 2021 |script-title=zh:习近平今再晋升5名上将 |language=zh |work=rfi.fr |url=https://www.rfi.fr/cn/%E4%B8%AD%E5%9B%BD/20210906-%E4%B9%A0%E8%BF%91%E5%B9%B3%E4%BB%8A%E5%86%8D%E6%99%8B%E5%8D%875%E5%90%8D%E4%B8%8A%E5%B0%86 |access-date=7 September 2021 |archive-date=7 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210907020926/https://www.rfi.fr/cn/%E4%B8%AD%E5%9B%BD/20210906-%E4%B9%A0%E8%BF%91%E5%B9%B3%E4%BB%8A%E5%86%8D%E6%99%8B%E5%8D%875%E5%90%8D%E4%B8%8A%E5%B0%86 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==== Air Force ====
[[File:J-20 at Airshow China 2016.jpg|thumb|A [[Chengdu J-20]] [[Fifth-generation jet fighter|5th generation]] stealth fighter]]
{{Main|People's Liberation Army Air Force}}

The 395,000 strong People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) was organized into five Theatre Command Air Forces (TCAF) and 24 air divisions.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=International Institute for Strategic Studies |author-link=International Institute for Strategic Studies |year=2018 |title=Chapter Six: Asia |journal=The Military Balance |language=en |publisher=[[Routledge]] |volume=118 |issue=1 |pages=261–265 |doi=10.1080/04597222.2018.1416982 |issn=0459-7222}}</ref>{{Rp|pages=249–259}} {{As of|2024}}, the system has been changed into 11 [[Grades of the People's Liberation Army|Corps Deputy-grade]] "Bases" controlling air brigades.<ref name=":10" /> Divisions have been mostly converted to brigades,<ref name=":10">{{Cite book |last=Trevethan |first=Lawrence |url=https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/AD1082606.pdf |title="Brigadization" of the PLA Air Force |date=2018 |website=Defense Technical Information Center |publisher=China Aerospace Studies Institute (CASI) |isbn=978-1718721159 |pages=1–3 |access-date=2024-05-16 |archive-date=3 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230903134547/https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/AD1082606.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>  although some (specifically the Bomber divisions, and some of the special mission units)<ref>{{Cite book |last=International Institute for Strategic Studies |author-link=International Institute for Strategic Studies |title=The Military Balance 2024 |date=2024-02-12 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |isbn=978-1-003-48583-4 |edition=1 |location=London |pages=261–265 |language=en |doi=10.4324/9781003485834}}</ref> remain operational as divisions. The largest operational units within the Aviation Corps is the air division, which has 2 to 3 aviation regiments, each with 20 to 36 aircraft. An Air Brigade has from 24 to 50 aircraft.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Dragon's Wing: The People's Liberation Army Air Force's Strategy > Air University (AU) > Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs Article Display |url=https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/JIPA/Display/Article/3111108/the-dragons-wing-the-peoples-liberation-army-air-forces-strategy/ |access-date=2024-05-16 |website=www.airuniversity.af.edu |date=August 2022 |archive-date=22 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220822012050/https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/JIPA/Display/Article/3111108/the-dragons-wing-the-peoples-liberation-army-air-forces-strategy/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The surface-to-air missile (SAM) Corps is organized into SAM [[division (military)|divisions]] and [[brigade]]s. There are also three airborne [[15th Airborne Corps|divisions]] manned by the PLAAF. [[J-XX]] and XXJ are names applied by Western intelligence agencies to describe programs by the People's Republic of China to develop one or more [[Fifth generation jet fighter|fifth-generation]] [[fighter aircraft]].<ref name="JDW">Chang 2002</ref><ref name="miltech">Coniglio 2006, P.44</ref> The PLAAF is led by Commander [[Chang Dingqiu]] and Political Commissar [[Guo Puxiao]].<ref>{{cite news |author1=Marcus, Clay |author2=Rod, Lee |date=24 September 2021 |title=Star General Chang Dingqiu Takes Command of China's Air Force |work=[[The Diplomat (magazine)|The Diplomat]] |url=https://thediplomat.com/2021/09/star-general-chang-dingqiu-takes-command-of-chinas-air-force/ |access-date=9 October 2021 |archive-date=27 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210927091518/https://thediplomat.com/2021/09/star-general-chang-dingqiu-takes-command-of-chinas-air-force/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=22 January 2022 |title=[军事报道]张又侠在出席中央军委纪委扩大会议时强调 坚决贯彻全面从严治党战略方针 深入做好新时代军队纪检监察工作 |language=zh |trans-title=[Military Report] Zhang Youxia, when attending the enlarged meeting of the Disciplinary Commission of the Central Military Commission, emphasized that we must resolutely implement the strategic policy of strictly governing the party in an all-round way and do a good job in the military discipline inspection and supervision work in the new era. |work=<nowiki>[[China Central Television]</nowiki> |url=https://tv.cctv.com/2022/01/22/VIDEGvAYf6VkuhyfCN3YHBPZ220122.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220122134924/https://tv.cctv.com/2022/01/22/VIDEGvAYf6VkuhyfCN3YHBPZ220122.shtml |archive-date=22 January 2022}}</ref>

==== Rocket Force ====
[[File:China Announces Troop Cuts at WWII Parade (screenshot) 20159180736.JPG|thumb|DF-21Ds at the [[2015 China Victory Day Parade|2015 Victory Parade]]]]
{{Main|People's Liberation Army Rocket Force}}

The People's Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF) is the main strategic missile force of the PLA and consists of at least 120,000 personnel.<ref name="Studies2020" />{{Rp|page=259}} It controls China's [[nuclear weapon|nuclear]] and conventional [[strategic missile]]s.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Lee |first1=Roderick |last2=Béraud-Sudreau |first2=Lucie |last3=Brewster |first3=David |last4=Cairns |first4=Christopher |last5=Ellis |first5=R. Evan |last6=Herlevi |first6=April |last7=Nantulya |first7=Paul |last8=Nouwens |first8=Meia |last9=Pincus |first9=Rebecca |last10=Wuthnow |first10=Joel |date=2022 |title=PLA Rocket Force as a Service: New Team Player or Increasingly Irrelevant? |journal=Enabling a More Externally Focused and Operational Pla – 2020 Pla Conference Papers |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep42811.12 |pages=133–154 |access-date=10 December 2022 |archive-date=10 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221210200840/https://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep42811.12 |url-status=live }}</ref> China's total nuclear arsenal size is estimated to be between 100 and 400 thermonuclear warheads. The PLARF is organized into bases sequentially numbered from 61 through 67, wherein the first six are operational and allocated to the nation's theatre commands while Base 67 serves as the PRC's central [[nuclear weapon]]s storage facility.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Kristensen |first1=Hans M. |last2=Korda |first2=Matt |date=2021-11-02 |title=Chinese nuclear weapons, 2021 |journal=Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists |language=en |volume=77 |issue=6 |pages=318–336 |doi=10.1080/00963402.2021.1989208 |bibcode=2021BuAtS..77f.318K |s2cid=244118657 |issn=0096-3402|doi-access= }}</ref> The PLARF is led by Command [[Li Yuchao]] and Political Commissar [[Xu Zhongbo]].<ref>{{Cite report |url=https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/Portals/10/CASI/documents/Research/PLARF/2022-10-24%20PLARF%20Organization.pdf |title=PLA Rocket Force Organization |last=Xiu |first=Ma |date=24 October 2022 |publisher=[[China Aerospace Studies Institute]] |access-date=10 December 2022 |archive-date=24 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221024133250/https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/Portals/10/CASI/documents/Research/PLARF/2022-10-24%20PLARF%20Organization.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>