2015年CRI Reform Aimed at More Professional Troops

 

Following a 3-day meeting among the top brass¹ of the PLA this week, Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is also the head of the Central Military Commission, has announced a series of planned changes for the organizational structure of the Chinese military.

Among the changes will be the creation of separate commands for the separate military divisions, including the Army, the Navy, the Airforce and the Strategic Rocket forces.

A general command center for land forces is also being set up, while the current regional military commands will be regrouped into larger "theater" commands.

A three-tier command system is also being set up, with the Central Military Commission at the top, followed by the theater commands who will dictate² orders to individual combat units.

And at the same time, the Central Military Commission will run a new administration system to cover various services for PLA troops, such as payments, pensions and other veterans’ services.

Zhao Xiaozhuo with Chinese Academy of Military Sciences says the moves should help clear-up a lot of the bureaucracy which exists within the PLA.

"These reforms are meant to adjust the constitution of the armed forces, as well as the composition of the personnel structure. In particular, the proportion of administrative³ personnel, as well as non-combat personnel, will be cut down. This will create more space for combat personnel. The reform plans also include plans to transform the soldiers into a more elite⁴ force."

The current structure of the Chinese military takes its roots from the initial formation of the People's Republic in 1949.

Back then, the military was built-up with the distinct goal of repelling⁵ a large-scale invasion and taking part in a mechanized war.

That began changing in the mid⁶ 1980's when the Chinese military began upgrading its technology to deal with the realities of more modern warfare⁷ scenarios⁸.

But Zhao Xiaozhuo with the Academy of Military Sciences says the organizational structure hasn't really kept up with the times.

"In recent years, China's armament and military science and technology have developed very quickly, as has the training for our soldiers. Yet, the organizational system is still relatively⁹ backward. The current system was developed basically in the 1980s and hasn't really changed over the past 30 years. However, the international situation, as well as the internal requirements in China for the armed forces has changed dramatically. So I think it makes sense to bring in reforms to the organizational structure of the military."

Also among the reforms are plans to divest¹⁰ the military out of non-core areas.

While the military has been banned from commercial ventures in China since the late 1990's, the PLA does still have non-military components¹¹, including hospitals around the country which are for-profit ventures open to the public.

In announcing the planned changes, the Chinese Ministry¹² of Defense¹³ says it also plans to provide more support to military personnel who may find themselves shuffled-out as a result of the reforms.

Chinese President Xi Jinping announced plans to cut 300-thousand from the PLA ranks during this year's event to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II.

For CRI, I'm Luo Wen.

1 brass   

n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器

参考例句：

• Many of the workers play in the factory's brass band.许多工人都在工厂铜管乐队中演奏。
• Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc.黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。

2 dictate   

v.口授；(使)听写；指令，指示，命令

参考例句：

• It took him a long time to dictate this letter.口述这封信花了他很长时间。
• What right have you to dictate to others?你有什么资格向别人发号施令？

3 administrative   

adj.行政的，管理的

参考例句：

• The administrative burden must be lifted from local government.必须解除地方政府的行政负担。
• He regarded all these administrative details as beneath his notice.他认为行政管理上的这些琐事都不值一顾。

4 elite   

n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的

参考例句：

• The power elite inside the government is controlling foreign policy.政府内部的一群握有实权的精英控制着对外政策。
• We have a political elite in this country.我们国家有一群政治精英。

5 repelling   

v.击退( repel的现在分词 )；使厌恶；排斥；推开

参考例句：

• He saw himself standing up and repelling a charge. 他仿佛看见自己挺身而起，打退了敌人的进攻。 来自辞典例句
• Promote the healthy entertainment styles. Repelling the superstition, gambling, drugs and obscenity. 提倡健康娱乐。抵制封建迷信活动，拒绝黄、赌、毒。 来自互联网

6 mid   

adj.中央的，中间的

参考例句：

• Our mid-term exam is pending.我们就要期中考试了。
• He switched over to teaching in mid-career.他在而立之年转入教学工作。

7 warfare   

n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突

参考例句：

• He addressed the audience on the subject of atomic warfare.他向听众演讲有关原子战争的问题。
• Their struggle consists mainly in peasant guerrilla warfare.他们的斗争主要是农民游击战。

8 scenarios   

n.[意]情节；剧本；事态；脚本

参考例句：

• Further, graphite cores may be safer than non-graphite cores under some accident scenarios. 再者，根据一些事故解说，石墨堆芯可比非石墨堆芯更安全一些。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• Again, scenarios should make it clear which modes are acceptable to users in various contexts. 同样，我们可以运用场景剧本来搞清楚在不同情境下哪些模式可被用户接受。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

9 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

10 divest   

v.脱去，剥除

参考例句：

• I cannot divest myself of the idea.我无法消除那个念头。
• He attempted to divest himself of all responsibilities for the decision.他力图摆脱掉作出该项决定的一切责任。

11 components   

（机器、设备等的）构成要素，零件，成分； 成分( component的名词复数 )； [物理化学]组分； [数学]分量； （混合物的）组成部分

参考例句：

• the components of a machine 机器部件
• Our chemistry teacher often reduces a compound to its components in lab. 在实验室中化学老师常把化合物分解为各种成分。

12 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

13 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。