Under the new rules, China's seven military regions will be replaced by joint-war-fighting commands in charge of "war zones" or "theaters of operation."
Should the proposed reforms be successfully implemented, the PLA will emerge as a much more capable, and lethal fighting force. At the core of operational reform will be streamlining command and control authority to better conduct "modern, information-intensive joint campaigns -- especially in the maritime-aerospace battle space domains, which are the domains in which PLA strategists believe China's most pressing operational contingencies reside.
The vast reorganization carries risk, particularly in light of China's current woes with a plunging stock market and slowing economy. Party officials have made economic progress the linchpin of its governing legitimacy. The military reforms will leave about 300,000 people out of jobs, and local economies could be affected as military regions are stood down. The reorganization is slated to be complete by 2020, but it could take longer if the new system is to operate efficiently.
References:
1.'China's Xi reorganizes military headquarters structure', The Jakarta Post, Beijing, Monday, 11 January 2016. Accessed at: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/01/11/chinas-xi-reorganizes-military-headquarters-structure.html
2. Wyatt Olson, 'China reorganizing military to close gap with US', Stars and Stripes, 31 January 2016, Accessed at:http://www.stripes.com/news/pacific/china-reorganizing-military-to-close-gap-with-us-1.391502
3. Zhang Hui, 'China reorganizes military departments', Global Times,12 January 2016. Accessed at:http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/963044.shtml
4. Ananth Krishnan, 'Eye on India, China raises Tibet military command rank', India Today, 13 May 2016. Accessed at:
http://tibet.net/2016/05/eye-on-india-china-raises-tibet-military-command-rank/
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