Peoples Liberation Army

Peoples Liberation Army Ground Force
There are 15 corps sized Army groups of China since the end of June 2003, divided among five Theater commands — Eastern, Southern, Northern, Western, Central. Within the Theater Commands, stating 2011, the divisions are being downsized into full brigades (Chinese: 旅; pinyin: Lǚ) - armored, mechanized infantry, field artillery, air defense artillery, engineering and logistics brigades.

The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) currently attributes the PLA Ground Force with nine active tank divisions consisting of a number of armored brigades. Dennis Blasko wrote in 2000 that the traditional structure of PLA divisions (armored and mechanized) consisted roughly of three regiments – tuan (Chinese: 团; pinyin: Tuán) – of the main arm, each of three battalions (Chinese: 营; pinyin: Yíng) plus support units, a fourth regiment of infantry (in an armored division) or armor (in an infantry division), a field artillery regiment, an anti-aircraft regiment or battalion, and signals, engineer, reconnaissance, and chemical defense battalions or companies, plus combat service support units.

A typical PLAGF armored brigade has the brigade HQ, 4 tank battalions (124 main battle tanks) – each tank battalion has 3 tank companies (30 + 1 tank for the battalion commander), 1 mechanized infantry battalion (40 armored personnel carriers), 1 field artillery battalion (18 self-propelled howitzers) – 3 batteries of 6 guns each and 1 anti-aircraft battalion plus a support battalion. In a mechanized/motorized infantry brigade, the organization is 4 mechanized/motorized infantry battalions, 1 tank battalion and the rest as in the armored brigades but with towed guns in the field artillery battalion.

There are 8 active artillery divisions consisting of a number of artillery brigades. A typical PLAGF artillery brigade has 4 artillery battalions each with 18 guns in 3 batteries and 1 self-propelled anti-tank gun battalion (18 vehicles).

Brigades are a relatively new formation for the PLAGF. Introduced in the 1990s, the PLAGF plans to expand their number and rid itself of the massive, rigid formations of the Soviet model. As a step towards modernizing its army, this new system allows for smaller, cross-service arm battle groups of battalion size within a brigade to operate independently, increasing the PLA's ability to respond to a rapidly changing battle situation. The PLAGF has yet to fully take advantage of this new formation, but has been taking steps to successfully integrate it in its force structure.

Special operations forces
The PLA first became interested in modern special warfare in the mid-1980s when it was shifting from the "people's war" to "fighting a local war under hi-tech conditions." The PLA planners believed that the next war would be a short, fast-pace conflict on the periphery rather than a total war on Chinese territories, and conventional infantry-orientated ground forces in their mass numbers could no longer meet the requirements. It specialises in rapid reaction combat in a limited regional war under high-tech conditions, commando operations, counter-terrorism, and intelligence gathering. The size of the Special Operations Forces is estimated at 7,000 ~ 14,000 troops.

Peoples Liberation Army Navy
The PLAN is organized into several departments for purposes of command, control and coordination. Main operating forces are organized into fleets, each with its own headquarters, a commander (a Rear Admiral or Vice Admiral) and a Political Commisar. All PLAN headquarters are subordinate to the PLA Joint Staff Department and the Chairman of the Central Military Commission.

Fleets
The People's Liberation Army Navy is divided into three fleets: Each fleet consists of surface forces (destroyers, frigates, amphibious vessels etc.), submarine forces, coastal defence units, and aircraft.
 * The North Sea Fleet, based in the Yellow Sea and headquartered in Qingdao, Shandong Province.
 * The East Sea Fleet, based in the East China Sea and headquartered in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province.
 * The South Sea Fleet, based in the South China Sea and headquartered in Zhanjiang, Guangdong Province.

PLAN Submarine Force
The People's Liberation Army Navy Submarine Force is one of five branches in the navy and consists of all submarines both nuclear-powered and conventionally-powered in service with the PLAN. They are organised into flotillas spread across the three main fleets.

The PRC is the last of the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council which has not conducted an operational ballistic missile submarine patrol, because of institutional problems. It operates a fleet of 68 submarines

PLAN Surface Force
The People's Liberation Army Surface Force is one of five branches in the navy and consists of all surface warfare ships in service with the PLAN. They are organised into flotillas spread across the three main fleets.

PLAN Coastal Defence Force
The PLAN Coastal Defence Force is a land-based fighting force and branch of the PLAN[42] with a strength of around 25,000 personnel. Also known as the coastal defense troops, they serve to defend China's coastal areas from invasion via amphibious landings or air-attack. Throughout the 1960s to 1980s, the Coastal Defense Force was focused on defending China's coast from a possible Soviet sea-borne invasion. With the fall of the Soviet Union, the threat of an amphibious invasion of China has diminished and therefore the branch is often considered to no-longer to be a vital component of the PLAN, especially as the surface warships of the PLAN continue to improve in terms of anti-ship and air-defence capabilities.

Today the primary weapons of the coastal defense troops are the HY-2, YJ-82, and C-602 anti-ship missiles.

PLAN Marine Corps
The PLAN Marine Corps was originally established in the 1950s and then re-established in 1979 under PLAN organisation. It consists of around 12,000 marines organised into two 6000-man brigades and is based in the South China Sea with the South Sea Fleet. The Marine Corps are considered elite troops, and are rapid mobilization forces trained primarily in amphibious warfare and as Paratroopers to establish a beachhead or act as a fighting spearhead during operations against enemy targets. The marines are equipped with the standard Type 95 Assault Rifle as well as other small arms and personnel equipment, and a blue/littoral camouflage uniform as standard. The marines are also equipped with armoured fighting vehicles (including amphibious light tanks such as the Type 63), artillery, and anti-aircraft artillery systems and short range surface-to-air missiles.

With the PLAN's accelerating efforts to expand its capabilities beyond territorial waters, it would be likely for the Marine Corps to play a greater role in terms of being an offshore expeditionary force similar to the USMC and Royal Marines.

PLA Naval Air Force
The People's Liberation Army Naval Air Force is the "air force" of the PLAN and has a strength of around 25,000 personnel and 690 aircraft. It operates similar aircraft to the People's Liberation Army Air Force, including fighter aircraft, bombers, strike aircraft, tankers, reconnaissance aircraft, electronic warfare aircraft, maritime patrol aircraft, transport aircraft, and helicopters of various roles. The PLA Naval Air Force has traditionally received older aircraft than the PLAAF and has taken less ambitious steps towards mass modernization. Advancements in new technologies, weaponry and aircraft acquisition were made after 2000.
 * North Sea Fleet: Dalian, Qingdao, Jinxi, Jiyuan, Laiyang, Jiaoxian, Xingtai, Laishan, Anyang, Changzhi, Liangxiang and Shan Hai Guan
 * East Sea Fleet: Danyang, Daishan, Shanghai (Dachang), Ningbo, Luqiao, Feidong and Shitangqiao
 * South Sea Fleet: Foluo, Haikou, Lingshui, Sanya, Guiping, Jialaishi and Lingling

Relationship with other maritime organizations of China
The PLAN is complemented by paramilitary maritime services such as the China Coast Guard. The Chinese Coast Guard was previously not under an independent command, considered part of the armed police, under the local (provincial) border defense force command, prior to its reorganization and consolidation as an unified service. It was formed from the integration of several formerly separate services (such as China Marine Surveillance (CMS), Hai Guang, People's Armed Police and sea militia). The CMS performed mostly coastal and ocean search and rescue or patrols. The CMS received quite a few large patrol ships that significantly enhanced their operations, while Hai Guang, militia, police and other services operated hundreds of small patrol craft. For maritime patrol services, these craft are usually quite well armed with machine guns and 37mm antiaircraft guns. In addition, these services operated their own small aviation units to assist their maritime patrol capabilities, with Hai Guang and CMS operating a handful of Harbin Z-6 helicopters, and a maritime patrol aircraft based on the Harbin Y-12 STOL transport.

Every coastal province has 1 to 3 Coast Guard squadrons:
 * 3 Squadrons: Fujian, Guangdong
 * 2 Squadrons: Liaoning, Shandong, Zhejiang, Hainan, Guangxi
 * 1 Squadron: Heibei, Tianjin, Jiangsu, Shanghai

Peoples Liberation Army Air Force
The Air Force headquarters consists of four departments: Command, Political Work, Logistics, and Materiel, which mirrors the former four general departments of the PLA. Below the headquarters, Theater command air forces (TCAF) direct divisions (Fighter, Attack, Bomber), which in turn direct regiments and squadrons. The PLAAF typically used the system of threes in its organization at Division level and below, i.e. 3 Regiments per Division, 3 Squadrons per Regiment, and so on. The situation is now more fluid, with several divisions (the 5th, 15th, 24th for example) only having two regiments. There are also Independent Regiments within the TCAFs. The PLA Airborne Corps is under direct control of PLAAF Headquarters.

Fifty operational air divisions were created from 1950 to 1971. This situation did not change until 1986, when the PLAAF began converting one air division in each of the seven military regions to a division-level transition training base (改装训练基地).

Order of battle
26th Ftr Div with one regiment previously at Shanghai-Chongming Island; 31st Fighter Division previously with Jinan MR; 35th Ftr Div.
 * Central Theater Command
 * 7th Fighter Division
 * 15th Fighter Division
 * 24th Fighter Division
 * 34th Transport Division
 * Western Theater Command
 * 33rd Fighter Division
 * 44th Fighter Division
 * 6th Fighter Division
 * 36th Bomber Division
 * 37th Fighter Division
 * Southern Theater Command
 * 2nd Independent Regiment
 * 2nd Fighter Division
 * 8th Bomber Division PLAAF (inc elements of fmr 48th Div?)
 * 9th Fighter Division PLAAF
 * 13th Transport Division PLAAF
 * 18th Fighter Division PLAAF
 * 42nd Fighter Division PLAAF
 * Eastern Theater Command
 * 3rd Independent Regiment
 * 3rd Fighter Division
 * 10th Bomber Division
 * 14th Fighter Division
 * 28th Attack Division
 * 29th Fighter Division
 * 1st Independent Regiment
 * 5th Attack Division PLAAF
 * 12th Fighter Division
 * 19th Fighter Division
 * Northern Theater Command
 * 1st Fighter Division
 * 4th Independent Regiment
 * 4th Fighter Division (inc 30th Div?)
 * 11th Attack Division (inc 22nd Div?)
 * 21st Fighter Division (inc 39th Div?)
 * 30th Fighter Division
 * People's Liberation Army Airborne Forces of the PLAAF under Air Force HQ
 * PLAAF Airborne Corps
 * 43rd Airborne Division
 * 44th Airborne Division
 * 45th Airborne Division

Airbases
For a more comprehensive list, see List of People's Liberation Army Air Force airbases.

There is presently over 150 air bases utilized by the People's Liberation Army Air Force, these are divided into the former seven military regions and the current 5 theater commands, as follows:
 * Beijing Military Region
 * Chengdu Military Region
 * Guangzhou Military Region
 * Jinan Military Region
 * Lanzhou Military Region
 * Nanjing Military Region
 * Shenyang Military Region