Chinese army now makes up less than half of PLA’s strength as military aims to transform itself into modern fighting force
- State news agency says PLA has been cutting back on ground forces as part of ‘transformational change’ to military
- Number of officers and non-combatants also falls as part of ambitious restructuring of world’s largest armed forces
The Chinese military has significantly boosted its navy, air force and new strategic units and downsized its land-based army as part of a strategic shift designed to transform the People’s Liberation Army into a comprehensive modern force, Xinhua reported.
In a feature report on Sunday highlighting the “transformational changes” made by the PLA, China’s official news agency said: “This new data is unprecedented in the history of the PLA – the army now accounts for less than 50 per cent of the total number of PLA troops; almost half of our non-combatant units have been made redundant, and the number of officers in the PLA has been reduced by 30 per cent.”
The statement indicated that the four other branches of the PLA – the navy, air force, rocket force and strategic support force, which is responsible for areas such as cyberwarfare – now together make up more than half of the Chinese military, overtaking the army, which has traditionally been the dominant unit of the PLA.
Shanghai-based military analyst Ni Lexiong said the overhaul marked a significant strategic shift from having a homeland-based defensive force to one with the capacity to allow Beijing to flex its muscles beyond its national borders and to protect its interests overseas.
Ni also said it also means that branches such as the navy, air force and missile units can now play a bigger roles in the event of conflict by fighting enemy forces beyond China’s borders.