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Land service branch of the Chinese People's Liberation Army

The People's Liberation Army Ground Force is the land based service branch of the People's Liberation Army and also it's largest and oldest branch. The PLAGF can trace its lineage from 1927 as the Chinese Red Army; however, it was not officially established until 1948.

In February 1949, the existing large number of armies and divisions were regularized into up to seventy armies of three divisions each. While some, such as the 1st Army, survived for over fifty years, a number were quickly amalgamated and disestablished in the early 1950s. It appears that twenty per cent or even more of the seventy new armies were disestablished up to 1953; in 1952 alone, the 3rd, 4th, 10th, 17th, 18th, and 19th Armies were disbanded. The PLA ground forces consist of conventionally armed main and regional units, which in 1987 made up over 70 percent of the PLA. It provided a good conventional defense, but in 1987 had only limited offensive potential and was poorly equipped for nuclear, biological, or chemical warfare. Main forces included about 35 group armies, comprising 118 infantry divisions, 13 armored divisions, and 33 artillery and antiaircraft artillery divisions, plus 71 independent regiments and 21 independent battalions of mostly support troops. Regional forces consisted of 73 divisions of border defense and garrison troops plus 140 independent regiments. Under the old system, a field army consisted of three partially motorized infantry divisions and two regiments of artillery and anti aircraft artillery. While the size of the PLA Ground Force has been reduced over the past few decades, technology intensive elements such as special operations forces (SOF), army aviation (helicopters), surface to air missiles (SAMs), and electronic warfare units have all been rapidly expanded. The latest operational doctrine of the PLA ground forces highlights the importance of information technology, electronic and information warfare, and long range precision strikes in future warfare. The older generation telephone/radio based command, control, and communications (C3) systems are being replaced by integrated battlefield information networks featuring local/wide area networks (LAN/WAN), satellite communications, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) based surveillance and reconnaissance systems, and mobile command and control centers. The predecessor to the theater command, the military region, was replaced by the current structure after the 2015 reform. Chinese militia is not a component of the People's Liberation Army, however, they could provide a certain degree of reserve function, which was indicated by "Militia Military Training and Evaluation Outline" released by the People's Liberation Army General Staff Department in 2007. PLAGF branches of service are composed of infantry (including mechanized infantry), armour, artillery, air defense, aviation, military engineering, anti chemical, communications, special operations, logistics, reconnaissance, electronic warfare, etc. These branches of service have their respective military education institutions.

PLA operational structure reflects China's strategic missions, political environment, and geographical circumstances. The PLA heavy, medium, and light combined arms brigades share a modular construct, resembling its superior and subordinate units at the corps and battalion level. A typical PLAGF combined arms brigade has the brigade HQ, four maneuver combat battalions, and other support battalions. For instance, a heavy combined arms brigade includes four combined arms battalions , one artillery battalion, one air defense battalion, one reconnaissance battalion, one combat support battalion, and one sustainment battalion. Before the 2015 reform, the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) attributes the PLA Ground Force with nine active armored divisions consisting of a number of armored brigades, 25 infantry divisions (mechanized or motorized), organized into a number of infantry brigades, and 8 artillery divisions, also organized into field artillery brigades. Dennis Blasko wrote in 2000 that the traditional structure of PLA divisions (armored and mechanized) consisted roughly of three regiments – tuan – of the main service arm, each of three battalions plus support units, a fourth regiment/brigade of infantry (in an armored division) or armor (in an infantry division), a field artillery regiment, an anti aircraft defense regiment or battalion, and signals, engineer, reconnaissance, and chemical defense battalions or companies, plus combat service support units. Officers may use Comrade to formally address another member of the military ("comrade" plus rank or position, as in "comrade Colonel", "comrade battalion leader", or simply "comrade(s)" when lacking information about the person's rank, or talking to several service people.)

The current system of other ranks and insignia dates from 2022. Sergeant and Corporal are referred to as non commissioned officers. New recruits have no military ranks before the boot camp is completed, and they will be awarded the rank of private after they have graduated from the induction training. Conscripts can be promoted to privates first class in their second year. At the end of two years, conscripts may retire or become NCOs if they volunteer, though the position requires at least high school diploma, specialized skills, or undertaking training courses. They can also attend a military academy to become officers after evaluations. Air assets within the aviation brigade include Z 10 attack helicopter, Z 19 recon helicopter, and Z 20 utility helicopter, etc. Unmanned aerial systems are employed extensively in PLA formations of all types. At battalion level, battalion HQ can direct tank company, assault gun company, mechanized infantry company, and firepower company to provide rapid close combat maneuver, with support assets including the PCP 001 rapid firing mortar, PLL 05/PLZ 10 self propelled gun mortars, AFT 8 missile carrier, MANPADS, and crew served weapon systems such as QJG 85 heavy machine gun, PP 87 or newer PBP 172 mortar, QLZ 04 automatic grenade launcher, and HJ 8E wire guided missile. Under each mechanized infantry company are standard infantry platoons and a firepower platoon , which is equipped with lightweight mortar, anti material rifle, 35 mm automatic grenade launcher, various rocket launcher, and heavy machine gun. At platoon level, a mechanized infantry squad consists of nine infantrymen, in which seven members are dismounted during combat. Infantry squads vary in composition based on the type of combined arms battalions. Medium and light infantry squads equip reusable rocket launchers to improve anti armor and anti fortification capability, whereas heavy infantry squads have no squad level rockets, instead relying upon fire support from the firepower platoon, or their own ZBD 04A infantry fighting vehicle. PF 89, PF 97, and DZJ 08 disposable rocket launchers could be distributed on an ad hoc basis to infantry squads for direct fire applications. Specialized fire support weapons, often equipped with dedicated rocketeers, or members of the firepower platoons, include the HJ 12 anti tank guided missile, PF 98 rocket launcher, the QLZ 87 and QLZ 04 35 mm automatic grenade launcher, the QBU 10 anti material rifle, QLU 11 sniper grenade launcher, QJG 02 anti air machine gun, QJZ 89 heavy machine gun, and the PP 89/93 60 mm mortar. Prior to 2015, only special operation detachment and soldiers in the active mission were equipped with body armor. The infantry equipment such as heavy body armor, personal radio, and knee pads has been seen in the standard kit in 2015 when PLA are deployed into high risk areas, as observed for units participating in UN Peacekeeping and counter piracy operations. The PLA has started to procure body armors for soldiers on large scale since March 2020, with 1.4 million body armor on order, which includes 930,000 units of plates for universal bulletproof vests and 467,000 units of plates for an enhanced bulletproof vest. The Type 19 uniform with new xingkong digital camouflage patterns, tactical vest, backpack, protective gear, and eyewear started to replace Type 07 uniform series since 2019. Along with the uniform, a new communication system, personal computer, tactical interface, and assault rifle family QBZ 191, new variants of the QSZ 92 pistol family, along with whole new sets of weapon systems are also being adopted by the PLAGF since 2019. These new upgrades are components of the new Integrated Soldier Combat System, a program aiming to overhaul the PLA's infantry equipment.

In 1987 the PLA ground forces, which relied upon obsolescent but serviceable equipment, were most anxious to improve defenses against armored vehicles and aircraft.