China names new political commissar of PLA logistic department
Appointment of Lieutenant General Zhang Shengmin comes 10 months after resignation of General Liu Yuan as a political commissar
A rising military star has recently been made the top political officer of the People’s Liberation Army’s logistics department under the direct leadership of the Central Military Commission – filling the void left by General Liu Yuan, who resigned 10 months ago, sources say.
“Lieutenant General Zhang Shengmin has just assumed the position of political commissar of the newly founded Logistic Support Department,” a Beijing-based source close to the PLA told the South China Morning Post, adding that Zhang appeared to have a bright military future.
A Shaanxi native, Zhang, 58, served with the PLA’s Second Artillery Corpsfor decades before he was named the founding political commissar of the commission’s Training Management Department in February.
Ongoing military reforms – the biggest in decades – were championed by Chinese President Xi Jinping, the commission chairman, earlier this year.
The changes have seen the PLA’s four general headquarters dissolved into 15 departments under the direct leadership of the commission. The Training Management Department was newly created, while the Second Artillery Corps had its name changed to the Rocket Force.