AFP, Beijing :
China’s new move to downsize its 2.3-million strong military will result in laying off of about 1.70 lakh officers as the world’s largest army plans to scrap two of its existing seven commands and three corps to streamline forces.
Officers will account for more than half of the 300,000 personnel to go in President Xi Jinping’s plans to streamline the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), Hong Kong-based the South China Morning Post said, citing unnamed military officials.
At least 170,000 officers, ranging from lieutenants to colonels, in China’s land forces would be laid off after two of the existing seven military commands and three army corps were scrapped, the Post quoted Chinese officials as saying.
They will be offered early retirement packages.
Each key military command has two to three army corps, with each corps having 30,000 to 50,000 troops. Shutting down two commands would mean the loss of about 120,000 personnel.
The massive downsizing plans were also aimed at encouraging pilots from the land forces to merge into the air force and navy, as part of the PLA’s drive to master joint operational warfare as it set its sights beyond borders.
The PLA, the world’s largest military force, would announce some details of the downsizing later this month.
China’s new move to downsize its 2.3-million strong military will result in laying off of about 1.70 lakh officers as the world’s largest army plans to scrap two of its existing seven commands and three corps to streamline forces.
Officers will account for more than half of the 300,000 personnel to go in President Xi Jinping’s plans to streamline the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), Hong Kong-based the South China Morning Post said, citing unnamed military officials.
At least 170,000 officers, ranging from lieutenants to colonels, in China’s land forces would be laid off after two of the existing seven military commands and three army corps were scrapped, the Post quoted Chinese officials as saying.
They will be offered early retirement packages.
Each key military command has two to three army corps, with each corps having 30,000 to 50,000 troops. Shutting down two commands would mean the loss of about 120,000 personnel.
The massive downsizing plans were also aimed at encouraging pilots from the land forces to merge into the air force and navy, as part of the PLA’s drive to master joint operational warfare as it set its sights beyond borders.
The PLA, the world’s largest military force, would announce some details of the downsizing later this month.
