China has announced the new departments and staff of brigades under the recently revamped 13 group armies of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Army, the latest step of the comprehensive military reforms which began in 2015.
The departments were launched following a Central Military Commission (CMC) decision in April to streamline the PLA Army's group armies from 18 to 13, a key step to building and developing a modern army. The 13 groups have been designated as the 71th to 83th group armies.
The political work department of a brigade under the 73th Group Army held seminars and made soldiers watch and discuss military documentaries to strengthen the troops' trust in and support of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and CMC policies, a WeChat account affiliated with the PLA Daily reported Monday.
Meanwhile, the logistics support department of some brigades under the regrouped 78th Group Army has merged several of its functions and downsized its work force to better serve the soldiers, the PLA Daily reported Saturday.
China announced the comprehensive military reforms in 2015. Under the reforms, the CMC is tasked with overall administration, while theater commands focus on combat preparedness and various armed services pursue development.
On May 24, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for efforts to turn the PLA Navy into a strong and modern force during an inspection of the PLA Navy headquarters. According to a May 28 report from news site china.com.cn, two officials from the PLA Marine Corps were rear admirals, which triggered speculation about whether the PLA Marine Corps will be promoted to an independent body parallel to the PLA Navy.
