1. Headquarters

The Headquarters of the General Staff, General Political Department, General Logistics Department, and General Armament Department, which are not only working organs of the CMC, but also leading organs for military, political, logistics and armament affairs of the entire army. They undertake the primary tasks of ensuring the implementation and realization of strategic decisions, policies and principles of the CMC on military warfare and army building.

The Headquarters of the General Staff is responsible for organizing and leading the building of the armed forces in the nation, and organizing and commanding military actions of the armed forces. It is made up of offices and departments for war operations, information, communication, military training, army affairs, mobilization, armament, security, mapping and surveying, foreign affairs, as well as the affairs of the various armed services and arms.

The General Political Department is responsible for Party work in the military, and organizes political work. It is made up of departments or offices for organization, officers, publicity, security and discipline inspection.

The General Logistics Department is responsible for leading the work of all logistic matters of the armed forces. It is made up of departments or offices for finance, military supplies, health, transportation, oil and materials and barracks construction.

The General Armament Department is responsible for leading the work concerned with armament supply. It is made up of departments and offices for general planning, research and ordering for armaments for the various services and arms of the armed forces, communication equipment and its guarantee.

2. Ministry of Defense

It is the organ for military affairs in the State Council. The ministry was set up according to a decision adopted by the 1st Session of the 1st National People's Congress in 1954. Its primary responsibilities are to exercise unified administration over the building of the armed forces of the country such as the recruiting, organizational setup, equipment, training, military scientific research of the people's armed forces and the ranking and remuneration of the officers and men. The work of the ministry is conducted respectively by the Headquarters of the General Staff, the General Political Department, the General Logistics Department and the General Armament Department. The Ministry of Defense does not command the armed forces. Exchanges in the military field with foreign institutions are usually conducted in the name of the Ministry of Defense.

3. Headquarters of the various branches of the armed forces

(1) Headquarters of the Navy

The headquarters of the Navy was established in December 1949, as an organ of the CMC for the administration of the navy as well as a leading body for the naval force, its scientific research, logistics and armament affairs. Its basic tasks are to oversee the building of the navy, its war preparation work, and to command the military operations of the navy, according to the policies and principles of the CMC for the building and war operations of the navy. The headquarters is made up of the commanding headquarters, political department, logistics department, technology and war preparation department, war preparation and maintenance department, and the naval air force department. Naval fleets are stationed in strategic sea zones along China's coast.

(2) Headquarters of the Air Force

The headquarters of the Air Force was established in July 1949, as an organ of the CMC for the administration of the air force as well as a leading body for the air force, its scientific research, logistics and armament affairs. Its basic tasks are to oversee the building of the air force, its war preparation work and to command the military operations of the air force, in accordance with the policies and principles of the CMC for the building and war operations of the air force. The headquarters has experienced reorganizations on several occasions. In 1985, such organizations as the commanding headquarters, political department, logistic department, and air-engineering department were set up. Since August 1950, various area military commands in the country have established headquarters of their air forces which are under the dual leadership of the Air Force of the People's Liberation Army and the various area military commands. Since 1951, various area military commands have organized their own air force and commanding organs of the air force at the army level.

(3) Headquarters of the 2nd Artillery Corps

The headquarters of the 2nd Artillery Corps was established in July 1966, which was then made up of the commanding headquarters, political department and logistics department. In December 1975, a scientific research department was added. The headquarters underwent a major reform in June 1985, as overlapping organizations were dismissed and commanding control and automation control departments established.

4. Area military commands

Headquarters of the various area military commands are the highest commanding bodies of consolidated military forces in each strategic region. Usually they are made up of the commanding headquarters, political departments, logistics departments and armament departments.

The primary jobs of the headquarters of the area military commands are: being responsible for the commanding of the war operations of the army, navy and air force in the areas under their jurisdiction as well as the military, political, logistic and armament affairs of the forces under their command. They are also responsible for the militia, military service, mobilization and construction of military facilities and sites in areas under their respective jurisdiction.

1. The active and reserve forces of the People's Liberation Army

The People's Liberation Army consists of officers and men in active service and in reserve. The active forces are made up of the Army, Navy, Air Force, 2nd Artillery Corps, military schools and national defense scientific research institutions.

The Army, organized according to different tasks and equipment, mainly includes the infantry, armored corps, artillery corps, engineering corps, communication corps, and anti-chemical warfare corps. In its setup, the Army follows the organizational system of the squad, platoon, company, battalion, regiment, division (brigade) and army (group army).

The Navy is organized into fleets, naval bases and marine defense regions. The People's Navy is made up of the East China Sea Fleet, the South China Sea Fleet and the North China Sea Fleet. The naval bases are usually under the command of the fleets and they in turn consist of marine defense regions and vessel forces. In terms of equipment and war operational responsibilities, the Navy consists of the vessel forces, submarine forces, naval air forces, naval coastal defense forces and the marine forces.

The Air Force is made up of air teams, regiments (air ports and air stations), divisions, and regional air forces (air armies). In terms of equipment and war operational responsibilities, the Air Force mainly consists of air units, anti-aircraft units, surface-to-air missile units, paratroops and radar units.

The 2nd Artillery Corps, also known as the Strategic Missile Corps, is an army equipped with surface-to-surface strategic missile system to carry out tasks of strategic anti-nuclear strikes. It is under the direct command of the CMC.

Military schools, in accordance with administrative subordination relationships and specialties of education and scientific research they undertake, are divided into those under the CMC, headquarters of different branches of the armed forces, area military commands, and various services and arms of the military.

National defense scientific research institutions include various research institutes and scientific research experiment bases which carry out the study of sciences and technologies for national defense.

The reserve service of the armed forces was organized in 1983 with officers and men in the active service as the backbone and those in the reserve service as the basic elements. It is organized in such a way as to quickly mobilize and turn into active forces during war. Its regiments and divisions are listed in the setup of the armed forces and conferred with designations and flags. In peaceful time, the reserve service is under provincial military regional commands while in times of war will be placed under the command of the designated active service of the military.

2. The Chinese People's Armed Police Force

As part of the armed forces of the People's Republic of China, the Armed Police Force was organized according to a decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China adopted in June 1982. Its headquarters were set up in Beijing in April 1983. The Armed Police Force is under the dual leadership of the State Council and the CMC and exercises a combined system of unified administration and command at different levels. The Armed Police Force implements the Military Service Law of the People's Republic of China and the orders and regulations of the People's Liberation Army. It enjoys the same political status as the People's Liberation Army. The primary mission of the Armed Police Force is to safeguard state sovereignty and dignity, maintain social order and security, guard the Party and government leading organs, key targets of protection in the country and the safety of people's life and property.

The Armed Police Force follows a three-level leadership in organizational setup of branch teams, brigades and headquarters. Made up mainly of civil defense units, it also includes the units administered by the public security departments such as the border units, fire brigades and garrison units as well as units jointly administered by various departments of the State Council and the Armed Police Force such as the water and electricity units, traffic units, gold mine units and forestry units.

3. The Militia

The Militia, a mass force engaged in daily production under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, is a component part of the armed forces of the People's Republic of China. Under the command of the military organs, the Militia undertakes such jobs as war preparation services, security and defense operation tasks and assistance in maintaining social order and public security.

(China.org.cn May 20, 2003)