PLA Military Region

PLA Military Regions in 2006 (Source: US DOD) - click to enlarge

See also: Military district

The People's Liberation Army uses a system of military regions, of which there used to be eleven, but are now seven:

• Shenyang Military Region
• Beijing Military Region
• Lanzhou Military Region
• Jinan Military Region
• Nanjing Military Region
• Guangzhou Military Region
• Chengdu Military Region

The military regions are divided into military districts, usually contiguous with provinces, and military sub-districts.

Originally thirteen military regions were established in the 1950s, but the number was reduced to eleven in the late 1960s. The resulting eleven military regions - Shenyang, Beijing, Lanzhou, Xinjiang, Jinan, Nanjing, Fuzhou, Guangzhou (including Hainan Island), Wuhan, Chengdu, and Kunming - were reduced to seven by 1985-88. The active ones now include Lanzhou, incorporating the former Urumqi MR, Chengdu Military Region, incorporating the former Kunming MR, Nanjing, which includes the former Fuzhou MR, Beijing, and Shenyang.

Finally Guangzhou and Jinan Military Regions both appear to include parts of the former Wuhan MR.

Military regions of service branches

See also

• NRA Military Region

References

• International Institute for Strategic Studies, The Military Balance, 1979/80, 1981/82, 1988/89.
• Chapter 8, PLA Ground Forces, by Dennis J Blasko, in The People's Liberation Army as Organisation, RAND, CF182.
• Thomas C. Roberts, The Chinese People's Militia and Doctrine of People's War, National Security Affairs Monograph Series 83-4, 1983, National Defence University Press, Washington DC.
• "National Military Command". SinoDefence.com. http://www.sinodefence.com/organisation/command/default.asp. Retrieved 2007-11-21.