二、武装力量建设与发展

II. Building and Development of China's Armed Forces

中国武装力量由人民解放军、人民武装警察部队、民兵组成，在国家安全和发展战略全局中具有重要地位和作用，肩负着维护国家主权、安全、发展利益的光荣使命和神圣职责。

China's armed forces are composed of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), the People's Armed Police Force (PAPF) and the militia. They play a significant role in China's overall strategies of security and development, and shoulder the glorious mission and sacred duty of safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests.

近年来，人民解放军按照履行使命任务和信息化建设发展要求，积极稳妥推进军队改革。强化军委总部战略管理功能，组建人民解放军战略规划部，将总参通信部改编为信息化部，将总参军训和兵种部改编为军训部；推进新型作战力量建设，调整优化各军兵种规模结构，改革部队编组模式，推动作战力量编成向精干、联合、多能、高效方向发展；完善新型军队人才培养体系，深化军事人力资源和后勤政策制度调整改革，加强高新技术武器装备建设，努力构建中国特色现代军事力量体系。

Over the years, the PLA has been proactively and steadily pushing forward its reforms in line with the requirements of performing its missions and tasks, and building an informationized military. The PLA has intensified the strategic administration of the Central Military Commission (CMC). It established the PLA Department of Strategic Planning, reorganized the GSH (Headquarters of the General Staff) Communications Department as the GSH Informationization Department, and the GSH Training and Arms Department as the GSH Training Department. The PLA is engaged in the building of new types of combat forces. It optimizes the size and structure of the various services and arms, reforms the organization of the troops so as to make operational forces lean, joint, multi-functional and efficient. The PLA works to improve the training mechanism for military personnel of a new type, adjust policies and rules regarding military human resources and logistics, and strengthen the development of new- and high-technology weaponry and equipment to build a modern military force structure with Chinese characteristics.

陆军主要担负陆地作战任务，包括机动作战部队、边海防部队、警卫警备部队等。按照机动作战、立体攻防的战略要求，陆军积极推进由区域防卫型向全域机动型转变，加快发展陆军航空兵、轻型机械化部队和特种作战部队，加强数字化部队建设，逐步实现部队编成的小型化、模块化、多能化，提高空地一体、远程机动、快速突击和特种作战能力。陆军机动作战部队包括１８个集团军和部分独立合成作战师（旅），现有８５万人。集团军由师、旅编成，分别隶属于７个军区。沈阳军区下辖第１６、３９、４０集团军，北京军区下辖第２７、３８、６５集团军，兰州军区下辖第２１、４７集团军，济南军区下辖第２０、２６、５４集团军，南京军区下辖第１、１２、３１集团军，广州军区下辖第４１、４２集团军，成都军区下辖第１３、１４集团军。

The PLA Army (PLAA) is composed of mobile operational units, border and coastal defense units, guard and garrison units, and is primarily responsible for military operations on land. In line with the strategic requirements of mobile operations and multi-dimensional offense and defense, the PLAA has been reoriented from theater defense to trans-theater mobility. It is accelerating the development of army aviation troops, light mechanized units and special operations forces, and enhancing building of digitalized units, gradually making its units small, modular and multi-functional in organization so as to enhance their capabilities for air-ground integrated operations, long-distance maneuvers, rapid assaults and special operations. The PLAA mobile operational units include 18 combined corps, plus additional independent combined operational divisions (brigades), and have a total strength of 850,000. The combined corps, composed of divisions and brigades, are respectively under the seven military area commands (MACs): Shenyang (16th, 39th and 40th Combined Corps), Beijing (27th, 38th and 65th Combined Corps), Lanzhou (21st and 47th Combined Corps), Jinan (20th, 26th and 54th Combined Corps), Nanjing (1st, 12th and 31st Combined Corps), Guangzhou (41st and 42nd Combined Corps) and Chengdu (13th and 14th Combined Corps).

海军是海上作战行动的主体力量，担负着保卫国家海上方向安全、领海主权和维护海洋权益的任务，主要由潜艇部队、水面舰艇部队、航空兵、陆战队、岸防部队等兵种组成。按照近海防御的战略要求，海军注重提高近海综合作战力量现代化水平，发展先进潜艇、驱逐舰、护卫舰等装备，完善综合电子信息系统装备体系，提高远海机动作战、远海合作与应对非传统安全威胁能力，增强战略威慑与反击能力。海军现有２３．５万人，下辖北海、东海和南海３个舰队，舰队下辖舰队航空兵、基地、支队、水警区、航空兵师和陆战旅等部队。２０１２年９月，第一艘航空母舰“辽宁舰”交接入列。中国发展航空母舰，对于建设强大海军和维护海上安全具有深远意义。

The PLA Navy (PLAN) is China's mainstay for operations at sea, and is responsible for safeguarding its maritime security and maintaining its sovereignty over its territorial seas along with its maritime rights and interests. The PLAN is composed of the submarine, surface vessel, naval aviation, marine corps and coastal defense arms. In line with the requirements of its offshore defense strategy, the PLAN endeavors to accelerate the modernization of its forces for comprehensive offshore operations, develop advanced submarines, destroyers and frigates, and improve integrated electronic and information systems. Furthermore, it develops blue-water capabilities of conducting mobile operations, carrying out international cooperation, and countering non-traditional security threats, and enhances its capabilities of strategic deterrence and counterattack. Currently, the PLAN has a total strength of 235,000 officers and men, and commands three fleets, namely, the Beihai Fleet, the Donghai Fleet and the Nanhai Fleet. Each fleet has fleet aviation headquarters, support bases, flotillas and maritime garrison commands, as well as aviation divisions and marine brigades. In September 2012, China's first aircraft carrier Liaoning was commissioned into the PLAN. China's development of an aircraft carrier has a profound impact on building a strong PLAN and safeguarding maritime security.

空军是空中作战行动的主体力量，担负着保卫国家领空安全、保持全国空防稳定的任务，主要由航空兵、地面防空兵、雷达兵、空降兵、电子对抗等兵种组成。按照攻防兼备的战略要求，空军加强以侦察预警、空中进攻、防空反导、战略投送为重点的作战力量体系建设，发展新一代作战飞机、新型地空导弹和新型雷达等先进武器装备，完善预警、指挥和通信网络，提高战略预警、威慑和远程空中打击能力。空军现有３９．８万人，下辖沈阳、北京、兰州、济南、南京、广州、成都７个军区空军和１个空降兵军。军区空军下辖基地、航空兵师（旅）、地空导弹师（旅）、雷达旅等。

The PLA Air Force (PLAAF) is China's mainstay for air operations, responsible for its territorial air security and maintaining a stable air defense posture nationwide. It is primarily composed of aviation, ground air defense, radar, airborne and electronic countermeasures (ECM) arms. In line with the strategic requirements of conducting both offensive and defensive operations, the PLAAF is strengthening the development of a combat force structure that focuses on reconnaissance and early warning, air strike, air and missile defense, and strategic projection. It is developing such advanced weaponry and equipment as new-generation fighters and new-type ground-to-air missiles and radar systems, improving its early warning, command and communications networks, and raising its strategic early warning, strategic deterrence and long-distance air strike capabilities. The PLAAF now has a total strength of 398,000 officers and men, and an air command in each of the seven Military Area Commands (MACs) of Shenyang, Beijing, Lanzhou, Jinan, Nanjing, Guangzhou and Chengdu. In addition, it commands one airborne corps. Under each air command are bases, aviation divisions (brigades), ground-to-air missile divisions (brigades), radar brigades and other units.

第二炮兵是中国战略威慑的核心力量，主要担负遏制他国对中国使用核武器、遂行核反击和常规导弹精确打击任务，由核导弹部队、常规导弹部队、作战保障部队等组成。按照精干有效的原则，第二炮兵加快推进信息化转型，依靠科技进步推动武器装备自主创新，利用成熟技术有重点、有选择改进现有装备，提高导弹武器的安全性、可靠性、有效性，完善核常兼备的力量体系，增强快速反应、有效突防、精确打击、综合毁伤和生存防护能力，战略威慑与核反击、常规精确打击能力稳步提升。第二炮兵下辖导弹基地、训练基地、专业保障部队、院校和科研机构等，目前装备东风系列弹道导弹和长剑巡航导弹。

The PLA Second Artillery Force (PLASAF) is a core force for China's strategic deterrence. It is mainly composed of nuclear and conventional missile forces and operational support units, primarily responsible for deterring other countries from using nuclear weapons against China, and carrying out nuclear counterattacks and precision strikes with conventional missiles. Following the principle of building a lean and effective force, the PLASAF is striving to push forward its informationization transform, relying on scientific and technological progress to boost independent innovations in weaponry and equipment, modernizing current equipment selectively by applying mature technology, enhancing the safety, reliability and effectiveness of its missiles, improving its force structure of having both nuclear and conventional missiles, strengthening its rapid reaction, effective penetration, precision strike, damage infliction, protection and survivability capabilities. The PLASAF capabilities of strategic deterrence, nuclear counterattack and conventional precision strike are being steadily elevated. The PLASAF has under its command missile bases, training bases, specialized support units, academies and research institutions. It has a series of "Dong Feng" ballistic missiles and "Chang Jian" cruise missiles.

武警部队平时主要担负执勤、处置突发事件、反恐怖、参加和支援国家经济建设等任务，战时配合人民解放军进行防卫作战。武警部队依托国家信息基础设施，建立完善从总部至基层中队的三级综合信息网络系统，发展部队遂行任务急需的武器装备，开展针对性训练，提高执勤、处置突发事件、反恐怖能力。武警部队由内卫部队和警种部队组成，内卫部队包括省（自治区、直辖市）总队和机动师，警种部队包括黄金、森林、水电、交通部队，公安边防、消防、警卫部队列入武警序列。

In peacetime, the PAPF's main tasks include performing guard duties, dealing with emergencies, combating terrorism and participating in and supporting national economic development. In wartime, it is tasked with assisting the PLA in defensive operations. Based on the national information infrastructure, the PAPF has built a three-level comprehensive information network from PAPF general headquarters down to squadrons. It develops task-oriented weaponry and equipment and conducts scenario-based training so as to improve its guard-duty, emergency-response and counter-terrorism capabilities. The PAPF is composed of the internal security force and other specialized forces. The internal security force is composed of contingents at the level of province (autonomous region or municipality directly under the central government) and mobile divisions. Specialized PAPF forces include those guarding gold mines, forests, hydroelectric projects and transportation facilities. The border public security, firefighting and security guard forces are also components of the PAPF.

民兵是不脱产的群众武装组织，是人民解放军的助手和后备力量。民兵担负参加社会主义现代化建设、执行战备勤务、参加防卫作战、协助维护社会秩序和参加抢险救灾等任务。民兵建设注重调整规模结构，改善武器装备，推进训练改革，提高以支援保障打赢信息化条件下局部战争能力为核心的完成多样化军事任务能力。民兵组织分为基干民兵组织和普通民兵组织。基干民兵组织编有应急队伍，联合防空、情报侦察、通信保障、工程抢修、交通运输、装备维修等支援队伍，以及作战保障、后勤保障、装备保障等储备队伍。

The militia is an armed organization composed of the people not released from their regular work. As an assistant and backup force of the PLA, the militia is tasked with participating in the socialist modernization drive, performing combat readiness support and defensive operations, helping maintain social order and participating in emergency rescue and disaster relief operations. The militia focuses on optimizing its size and structure, improving its weaponry and equipment, and pushing forward reforms in training so as to enhance its capabilities of supporting diversified military operations, of which the core is to win local wars in informationized conditions. The militia falls into two categories: primary and general. The primary militia has emergency response detachments; supporting detachments such as joint air defense, intelligence, reconnaissance, communications support, engineering rush-repair, transportation and equipment repair; and reserve units for combat, logistics and equipment support.