The Chinese military is about to undergo a major structural reform that could spell the end of the People's Liberation Army's four main departments and seven major military regions, reports Duowei News, a US-based Chinese political news website.
According to Duowei sources, the military reforms have been under development for a long time and will be the PLA's largest since the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949.
It is believed that the existing PLA hierarchy will be cut down and replaced with a flat new structure headed by "military command" and "military and politics." The model is said to be loosely based on the US Joint Chiefs of Staff under the US Department of Defense.
This means that the PLA's four main departments — the General Staff Department, General Political Department, General Logistics Department and General Armaments Department — are likely to be restructured. Sources indicate that the General Staff Department could be integrated into a new "joint command department" directly under the Central Military Commission, with the General Political Department transformed into a "human resources department." The other two departments could be scrapped altogether or be merged into new departments.
Read the full story at Want China Times