The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has begun a new phase in its long-term, multi-dimensional military modernization process that began in the late 1970s as part of the Four Modernizations. The general outline for the current round of reforms was announced in November 2013 and forecast changes in the size and structure of the force; adjustments to command and control organizations, particularly for theater joint operations; creation of new types of combat capabilities; and reform of the military education system.
No further details were revealed until September 2015 when Central Military Commission (CMC) chairman Xi Jinping announced a 300 thousand personnel cut, mainly affecting “troops equipped with outdated armaments, administrative staff and non-combatant personnel, while optimizing the structure of Chinese forces,” resulting in an active duty force of two million by the end of 2017.
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