Operation Fresh Mindset: China’s land forces need new attitude, top army officers say
Admission from PLA ground forces chiefs could mean the military aims to be less defensive and more ‘proactive’ overseas, analysts say
Top brass from the military’s land forces have admitted that drastic measures are essential to tackle the deep-rooted problems if the massive overhaul of the in the PLA is to be effective.
In an article published by Xinhua on Sunday, the army officials called for a new “mindset” as the reform rolled out – a move that analysts said signalled plans for the People’s Liberation Army to be less defensive and more proactive, including abroad.
At the inauguration of the new ground forces command on December 31, officers vowed to sacrifice their individual desires for the reforms, Xinhua reported.
“We have faced a series of contradictions for a long time, and these [reform] innovations are not an easy task,” the article quoted Zhang Huihong, one of the land forces heads, as saying.
“We have to eliminate problems affecting and restricting the development of the land forces, and get rid of mindsets that are not consistent with modern times.”
READ MORE: Chinese military launches two new wings for space and cyber age
China officially launched two new PLA units and established a separate command for ground units on New Year’s Eve. In a guideline released that day, the Central Military Commission said the defence system would be restructured to build a modern military for the information age by 2020.
Our military should not be as passive as it used to be