This Is Why The Chinese Army Is Downsizing

© REUTERS/ Rolex Dela Pena/Pool

Adam Ni, The Diplomat: Why China Is Trimming Its Army

The latest cuts to the PLA Army will help make China’s military a leaner, more modern force.

On July 11, the official media outlet of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), China’s armed forces, announced that it will rebalance the two million-strong force by downsizing its army while boosting its navy, missile force, and strategic support force.

According to the PLA Daily, the mouthpiece of the military, the number of PLA Army personnel will be reduced to below one million for the first time in its history. “[T]he old military structure, where the army accounts for the vast majority, will be replaced after the reform,” the announcement said. It added that the PLA Navy, Rocket Force, and Strategic Support Force will see an increase in personnel, while the Air Force’s active service personnel will stay the same.

China’s Ministry of National Defense figures show that the Army had about 850,000 combat troops in 2013. It is unclear exactly how many troops will be cut from the Army given the lack of official data on the total strength of PLA ground forces.

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Previous Post: Report: Chinese Army To Be Cut From 2.3 Million Soldiers To Less Than One Million (July 12, 2017).

WNU Editor: The Chinese are doing something that the U.S. should do. Define your national security priorities .... and build your military force to accommodate these priorities. As it is now .... China's priorities are defense of borders and projecting force on border disputes, making sure the sea lanes are open to Chinese trade in Asia and the Middle East, and to have a sufficient nuclear deterrent against the other nuclear powers in the world. Bottom line ... they do not need an army this size to meet these goals .... hence a smaller army.