PLA opts to become US-style nimble force in massive overhaul

From K J M Varma  Beijing, Aug 24 (PTI) The Chinese army is all set todiscard erstwhile Soviet-style bulky military and opt for leanUS-style forces for quick deployment with plans to retrenchthe world’s largest military. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) which together withnavy and airforces constitutes 2.3 million strong forces, theworld’s largest, will phase out its army corps as it tries tomould a more nimble fighting force, Hong Kong-based SouthChina Morning Post reported. The move will also impact the military deployment alongthe India-China borders, the PLA now plans to turn its 18 ArmyCorps into 25 to 30 divisions. The size of a corp varies from 30,000 to a lakh ofsoldiers. The current approach was inherited from the Soviet Union,but it’s a bulky model no longer suited to the demands ofmodern warfare, which prizes modularity, a retired seniorcolonel based in Beijing said. Instead the the style of the US 101st Airborne Division isthe best example that the PLA land forces will study, he said. "This is a main trend in modern warfare. Even the Russianarmy has tried to learn from the US army by reducing the sizeof their troops, making land forces become more nimble andquick-response," the veteran said. "The style of the US 101st Airborne Division is the bestexample that the (People’s Liberation Army’s) land forces willstudy, especially its quick deployment, equipment and logisticsupplies, as well as other supporting networks, which reflectthe success of its nimble and efficient system," he said. A Chinese defence white paper last year highlighted theimportance of building small, multifunctional and modularunits that could take on different purposes for jointoperations. As part of the overall military reforms initiated byPresident Xi Jinping, who also heads the decision-makingCentral Military Commission, the PLA has dissolved the fourgeneral headquarters and instead set up 15 new organisationsincluding the Headquarters of the Joint Force. The seven military commands were reshaped into fivetheatre commands. Also Xi has proposed to cut three lakh troops by nextyear. It was only a matter of time for the army corps units tobe either downsized or scrapped, although the change wouldinevitably encounter strong opposition from the ground force,the report said. PTI KJVUZM