Exclusive | PLA reform: China’s top brass set New Year deadline for military command restructure

A dramatic overhaul of the PLA’s military command system is expected to be completed by the end of the month, according to sources close to the armed forces.

The present seven military commands of the People’s Liberation Army would soon be dismantled and replaced by five new strategic zones as part of a wide-ranging restructure of the system, the sources said.

A source close to the Jinan military command – one of seven throughout the country – told the South China Morning Post that the command was “finishing its historical mission”, and would be dismantled along with the other military commands on December 20. “The candidates for the leadership of the new five combat zones have not yet been finalised, but the list of names will be announced very soon,” the source said.

Another source close to the army said the top brass of the powerful Central Military Commission, which oversees the armed forces and is chaired by President Xi Jinping, had demanded the five combat zone system be up and running as early as January 1.

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The restructure is part of Xi’s massive military overhaul, which aims to shift the PLA from an army-centric system towards a Western-style joint command, in which the army, navy and air force are equally represented.

The PLA’s mouthpiece last week published a commentary saying the existing system of seven military commands and four headquarters was outdated, too centralised and challenged the Communist Party’s absolute leadership over the army. The overhaul, it said, aimed to consolidate the CMC’s power and the party’s control over the gun.