Publication

This paper describes the most wide-ranging and ambitious restructuring of China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) since 1949. More specifically, the text describes 1) the sheer scope of the organization-altering reforms; 2) the motives behind the restructuring, which include strengthening the PLA’s joint operations capabilities, reinforcing civilian control over the armed forces, and spurring technological innovation; 3) the political strategy President Xi used to overcome PLA resistance to the reforms; 4) the expected implications of the alterations that have been made; and 5) the future stages of the transformation process.