40 years ago, the declassification of the great changes in our army: the seven reorganizations of the covert disarmament.
In 1982, our army carried out a mysterious disarmament, which brought profound changes to the new squadron. This undisclosed reorganization is the seventh disarmament of our armed forces since its founding, and it is also the second reorganization after reform and opening up.
Forty years ago, in 1982, in accordance with the changes in the environment of the country and the army at that time, our army carried out an undisclosed large-scale disarmament, which became the seventh reorganization in the history of our army. Compared with the 1985 million-dollar disarmament, this disarmament was kept secret from the outside world, and the second disarmament after the reform and opening up also took place during this period.
At the end of 1981, our army had just completed a streamlining and reorganization, and the total number of personnel in the whole army was 12 percent lower than in 1980, but it was still as high as more than 5.2 million. However, the leadership recognized the problem that the military was too large and too large. Problems such as bloated leadership and command organs, overlapping organs, a small proportion of the combined army's organization technology and arms, and its inability to meet the requirements of coordinated operations of the armed forces urgently need to be resolved. Therefore, the Central Military Commission decided to further carry out structural reform of the headquarters organs on the basis of the last streamlining and reorganization, and put forward the slogan of "demolishing temples, moving bodhisattvas, and reducing the number of people."
On 19 September 1981, after the end of the North China Xi exercise, our army held a grand military parade. The Chairman of the Central Military Commission inspected the troops under review and delivered an important speech. In November 1981, in order to strengthen leadership over the reform and streamlining and reorganization of the armed forces, the General Staff Headquarters requested instructions from the Central Military Commission to set up a leading group for structural reform and streamlining and reorganization of the Central Military Commission. In February 1982, the Central Military Commission approved the establishment of a leading group, with Yang Dezhi, chief of the General Staff, as the leader, Yang Yong, deputy chief of the General Staff, Liang Biye, deputy director of the General Political Department, and Hong Xuezhi, director of the General Logistics Department, as the deputy leaders. During this period, reforming the structure and streamlining and reorganization became a top priority for the Central Military Commission and the General Staff Headquarters.
In April 1982, the Party Committee of the General Staff Department listened to a report by the Military Affairs Department of the General Staff on the plan for reducing the army's quota and reforming the system. The meeting fully discussed the quotas and proportions of the army, navy, and air force, the number of army divisions, the establishment of artillery divisions, the establishment of provincial military districts, military subdivisions, and people's armed forces, the establishment of military academies and universities, the organization of engineering units, the number of art troupes and sports engineering teams, and the establishment of technical reconnaissance units. A plan for reducing the quota of the armed forces and reforming the establishment of the system was put forward and submitted to the Military Commission.
In July 1982, the Military Commission held a symposium to focus on the study of structural reform. The meeting decided that the reform of the armed forces structural structure includes four aspects: the overall organizational structure of the armed forces, the relationship between leadership and command, the division of functions and powers at all levels, and the organization of troops. The meeting put forward four principles for reforming the armed forces, streamlining and reorganizing: crack troops, combined forces, integration of peacetime and wartime forces, and improvement of efficiency. Yang Shangkun, chairman of the Central Military Commission, vice chairman, and secretary general of the Central Military Commission, gave important instructions at the meeting. After repeated investigations and studies, scientific demonstrations, and many additions and revisions, the General Staff Headquarters drew up a "Plan for the Streamlining and Reorganizing of the Military System." After being approved by the ** Military Commission, it was issued to the whole army on September 16. The "Plan" decided to further streamline and reorganize the armed forces from September of that year on the basis of the downsizing and reorganization carried out in 1980. It was decided to change the leading organs of artillery, armored troops, and engineering troops into the artillery department, armored troops, and engineering departments of the General Staff Headquarters, respectively. The number of the railway soldiers was revoked and merged into the Ministry of Railways. The formation of mechanized infantry divisions within the formation of the army corps (field army) began to be the beginning of the transformation of our army from motorized to mechanized.
In the early 80s, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) underwent this large-scale structural reform, streamlining and reorganization. One of the characteristics of this reorganization is that the organs of the three general departments and the large military region have been greatly streamlined. The organs of the General Staff Headquarters have been reduced from 17 departments and bureaus to 14, and the number of units at and above the division level directly under them has been reduced by 10. The operational bureaus under the departments and bureaus of the General Political Department have been merged from 44 to 38, and the General Logistics Department has been reduced from 13 departments and bureaus to 11 departments. The personnel of the three headquarters organs have been reduced by 196%。The leading organs of artillery, armored troops, and engineering troops directly under the Military Commission have been downsized and downgraded to the artillery department, armored corps department, and engineering corps department of the General Staff Department.
The abolition of the two arms of the railway corps and the infrastructure engineering corps is the second characteristic of the reorganization. A total of more than 510,000 railway and infrastructure engineering troops have been collectively transferred to the Ministry of Railways and various ministries and commissions of the state to which they were originally subordinate or to the provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government, and some units have been transferred to the armed police force in formation. This is a huge change in integration and a top priority for disarmament.
The third characteristic of the reorganization is that the tank divisions and most of the artillery divisions have been assigned to the army corps, thus raising the level of the army's organization and composition. With the reform of the leadership system of the armed forces under the Central Military Commission and the major military regions, most of the artillery, tank, and field engineering units directly under the major military regions have been placed under the leadership of the Army ArmyReserve tank divisions and most of the artillery divisions were placed under the leadership of the Army Corps. In order to gain experience in organizing group armies, in September 1982, the 38th Army of the Beijing Military Region and the 39th Army of the Shenyang Military Region first carried out a trial project for the formation of a composite group army. Some units of independent arms that have been delegated to military regions under the management of various armies have begun to carry out experiments in the organization of composite group armies, and have also begun to form mechanized infantry divisions within the organization of army corps. In December 1983, the 112th Division of the 38th Army was converted from a motorized infantry division into a mechanized infantry division equipped with infantry fighting vehicles and armored transport vehicles. This mechanized infantry division is composed of mechanized infantry, tank troops, artillery, engineering troops, signal troops, and anti-chemical warfare units, and the number of tanks and self-propelled artillery has been increased, the speed of the motorized infantry division has been maintained, and the firepower, assault force, and protection capacity have been enhanced.
The fourth feature of the reorganization is the formation of the Chinese People's Armed Police Force. In order to strengthen the management and building of the contingent of armed police, border defense, and firefighting people's police, on 19 June 1982, the CPC ** and the Central Military Commission decided to establish the Chinese People's Armed Police Force on the basis of the internal security forces transferred by the People's Liberation Army to the public security departments and the original armed forces, border defense, and fire police of the Ministry of Public Security. On 5 April 1983, the headquarters of the Chinese People's Armed Police Force was established in Beijing, and public security organs at all levels successively established armed police units.
The fifth feature of the reorganization is the formation of reserve forces. In order to enhance the ability to mobilize rapidly in wartime, the Central Military Commission has organized reserve forces throughout the country in a planned and step-by-step manner in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Military Service Law. On March 20, 1982, the Shenyang Military Region decided to form a mobilization division. On 25 March 1983, the General Staff Headquarters issued the "Circular on the Establishment of a Mobilization Division in the Beijing and Shenyang Military Regions," and the whole army began the pilot work of forming a mobilization division (later renamed a reserve division). On the same day, China's first reserve division, the Jinzhou Reserve Division, was formally established. As a result of experimentation and popularization, dozens of reserve divisions (regiments) of the army, navy, and air force have been set up in key areas across the country.
By the end of 1983, the PLA had completed the tasks set forth in the plan for reforming the armed forces and streamlining and reorganizing the armed forces, and the total number of personnel had been reduced from more than 5.2 million to 4 million. This is also an unprecedentedly "million-dollar disarmament," which has brought far-reaching changes to our military. After the reorganization, our army's structure has become more streamlined, its organization has become more rational, and its combat effectiveness has been further enhanced. This reorganization is an important link in the course of our army's reform and has laid a solid foundation for the army's modernization.
Commentary: Interpreting the large-scale streamlining and reorganization of our army 40 years ago.
When we look back at the large-scale streamlining and reorganization of our army 40 years ago, we not only get a glimpse of the background of the political decision-making at that time, but also witness the far-reaching changes brought about by the reform of the army. Although this reorganization has not been publicly publicized, it has left a strong mark in the long river of history.
First of all, the political decision behind the reorganization reflected the actual needs of China's army building at that time. In the face of changes in the environment in which the country and the armed forces are located, the leadership has not hesitated to pay a huge price to promote a more streamlined and flexible military system by reducing its institutions and dismantling its huge establishment. This is a rational response to the global military situation and national strategic needs at that time, and it is a high degree of compatibility between military strategy and the national situation.
Second, the application of military wisdom and military science and technology embodied in the reorganization has laid the cornerstone for the future modernization of our army. From the four principles of "elite troops, combined forces, peacetime and wartime integration, and improved efficiency" that have emerged from the reorganization, we have seen the army's efforts to find a balance between war and peace. At the same time, by assigning tank divisions and artillery divisions to the army, the composite level of the army's organization has been raised, which shows the clear thinking of our army in mechanization and modernization. This has also laid a solid foundation for our military to display greater combat effectiveness in the international military arena in the future.
In addition, the abolition of the railway corps and the infrastructure engineering corps in the reorganization, as well as the formation of the people's armed police force, show the leadership's forward-looking thinking in dealing with diverse security threats. At that time, the contingent of armed police, border guard, and firefighting people's police was gradually developing and growing, and it was urgent for the management and construction of this highly specialized, scattered and nationwide armed police force. This decision has enabled our military to have a more powerful force in maintaining domestic security and stability.
Finally, the building of reserve forces is a bright spot in the reorganization. In order to improve the ability of rapid mobilization in wartime, the Central Military Commission has organized reserve forces in a planned and step-by-step manner. This practice not only solves the problem of rapid mobilization and expansion of the armed forces in wartime, but also constantly brings forth new ideas in actual operations, and has become an effective way to modernize the armed forces.
In general, the large-scale streamlining and reorganization of our army 40 years ago was a hidden and profound change. Behind the reorganization is the leadership's deep insight and scientific decision-making on the strategic needs. This reorganization has provided our army with a more flexible and efficient organizational structure, laid the foundation for the modernization of the army, and made us look forward to the strong rise of our army.
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