PLA reform: 150 military schools to be reduced and merged into 29

[Bowen Press Exclusive] The People’s Liberation Army reform is underway. This news service has learned that the Central Military Commission (CMC) of the Communist Party Central Committee convened a mobilization meeting last Thursday September 10, 2015, and this week began implementing the new program. Two CMC vice-chairmen, Fan Changlong and Xu Qiliang, separately departed for all seven of the major military regions to explain the reform plan. And the military academy reform meeting has already been completed. At the meeting it was decided that the present 150 military academies will be cut down and consolidated into 29. The rest will be transferred to localities. This is the biggest reorganizing and reduction of the military forces since the inception of reform and opening.

Military sources reveal that last Thursday September 10, 2015 the Central Military Commission convened its four general departments, all branches of the service, the Second Artillery Corps, and the principals in charge of the People’s Armed Police for a general mobilization meeting regarding military reform. The high-ranking military officers at the meeting heard the mobilization report of Central Military Commission Chairman Xi Jinping. According to sources, all the high-ranking officers at the meeting were required to express their suppoprt for the reforms. Starting this week, CMC vice-chairmen Fan Changlong and Xu Qiliang separately went to all seven major military regions to explain the military reforms to middle and low-ranking military officers.

This news service has learned that the military reform meeting discussing military academy restructuring ended this week. Those present at the meeting included the leading cadres at the 150 military academies and branches of military service affected. The meeting declared that the existing 150 military academies will be reduced and merged into 29 academies, with those remaining being transferred to local civilian administration.

According to the military reform program, the military academies to be retained include those with integral ties to the military. These can’t be localized. For example the Army Non-Commissioned Officer Academy, the Officer College, Staff and Command College, Logistics College, Military Engineering College, Armaments and Equipment College and Strategic Artillery Academy. These schools train personnel exclusively for military use. The schools that train military and civilian personnel, including medical schools, liberal arts colleges, foreign language schools and political study schools are all being cut.

Sources reveal that the National Defense University, the Defense University of Science and Technology, the Military Museum, the PLA Archives, the Military Academy of Medical Sciences, the armaments research institutes affiliated with the general headquarters and military service branches, Engineering Design Institute etc. science and technology and academic research organizations will all be incorporated into the national defense administrative system. All personnel will be demobilized and become civilian workers and will no longer be considered military personnel. The National Defense University will still be responsible for training senior military cadres.

Sources reveal that General Logistics Department political commissar General Liu Yuan will preside over the military academy reform. He ardently hopes that all comrades in every military academy put under local control will continue to work hard like they did in the military, preserve the glorious tradition of the PLA, and win honor for the people’s army. When Liu Yuan became political commissar of the General Logistics Department ten years ago, he took charge of the Number One Military Medical College, and the Number Three Military Medical College in Chengdu (capital of Sichuan Province), Military Supplies College, altogether four military academies that were transferred to civilian control. It was a smooth and successful transition, and positively evaluated inside the military.