ANNUAL REPORT

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National-Level Military Reform and Reorganization
In an effort to improve command and control as well as tighten
political control over the PLA, the four general departments of the
Central Military Commission (the general staff, political, logistics,
and armaments departments) were reorganized into 15 subordinate
functional sections in January 2016 (see Figures 4A and 4B).* 78
One of the more important developments resulting from the abolishment
of the general departments was the subsequent establishment
of the Joint Staff Department, which will serve as a direct
command and control link between the Central Military Commission
and operational forces in the five new joint theater commands.
79 With this reorganization, the oversight functions that had
previously resided in the General Staff Department, such as military
training and education, were transferred to other new departments
or offices, leaving the Joint Staff Department to focus on
providing operational guidance to the PLA. However, it is too early
to tell if this change will improve the Central Military Commission’s
command and control of PLA joint operations conducted at
the theater level.† 80
In addition to improving national-level command and control,
military reforms also provide President Xi an opportunity to tighten
CCP control over the PLA. Dr. Saunders and Dr. Wuthnow state
that some ‘‘senior PLA officers at the [Central Military Commission],
the general departments, and the military regions had too
much power and were not always responsive to orders from the
center.’’ 81 To address this problem, President Xi may have used reforms
to restructure the departments across a system of many subordinate
functional sections to diffuse its responsibilities and minimize
the potential for concentrated power bases within the PLA. 82
Theater-Level Military Reform and Reorganization
A central feature of the reforms is the creation of a theater structure
with combat responsibilities along China’s periphery and within
the geographic boundaries of the theater to replace the military
region structure, improve joint operations, and meet security challenges
in western China and along China’s periphery. 83 The missions
and structure associated with the five Joint Theater Commands
also align with the PLA’s previous war zone structure. 84
Wang Xiaohui, a scholar from China’s National Defense University,
* The 15 functional sections replacing the general departments include the Joint Staff Department,
Political Work Department, Logistic Support Department, Equipment Development Department,
Training Management Department, National Defense Mobilization Department, Discipline
Inspection Commission, Political and Law Commission, Science and Technology Commission,
Strategic Planning Office, Reform and Formation Office, International Military Cooperation
Office, Audit Office, and the General Affairs Administration. Kenneth Allen, Dennis J.
Blasko, and John F. Corbett, ‘‘The PLA’s New Organizational Structure: What Is Known, Unknown
and Speculation (Part 1),’’ Jamestown Foundation, February 4, 2016, 6.
† The Joint Staff Department, in addition to having operational control over PLA troops in
the new theaters, has a command and control function over troops conducting overseas operations
through the department’s Combat Operations Bureau and the Overseas Operations Office.
U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, Hearing on Developments in China’s
Military Force Projection and Expeditionary Capabilities, written testimony of David M.
Finkelstein, January 21, 2016; Phillip C. Saunders and Joel Wuthnow, ‘‘China’s Goldwater-Nichols?
Assessing PLA Organizational Reforms,’’ Institute for National Strategic Studies, April 20,
2016, 4; China Military Online, ‘‘MND Holds Press Conference on CMC Organ Reshuffle,’’ January
12, 2016; Global Times (China), ‘‘CMC Reveals Combat Ops, Info Bureaus,’’ April 12, 2016;
Andrew Tate, ‘‘China Establishes Overseas Operations Office,’’ IHS Jane’s, March 29, 2016; and
Global Times (China), ‘‘CMC Reveals Combat Ops, Info Bureaus,’’ April 12, 2016.
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