PLA Ground Forces

Brigade Reform and
the Recent PLA Development

• Introduction
• The Brigades' Role in the PLA's WarZone Campaign Doctrine
• Rapid Reaction Units and Pockets Of Excellence:
• Training and Organization
• New Laws and Regulations
• The Brigades
• Table of Equipment
• Notes

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Brigade Reform and the Recent PLA Development

by Xinhui

The Brigades:

From various resources, a new PLA brigade has the following characteristics: commanded by a senior colonel, with several battalions totaling 6000 troops; [47] possesses significantly smaller combat service support units than divisions, [48] are approximately one-third to one-half the strength of a division of the same arm; for independent brigades, regiments will serve as intermediate headquarters between brigade and battalion level; [49] have a fully automated command HQ element transported by 11 cross-country trucks for increased rapid reactioncapability; wireless computer networks for communications with sub-units. [50]

The brigade-battalion structure format is not new to the PLA. It was widely implemented after the 1985 reform, when the PLA downsized over 1 million troops. [51] These older brigades are functional support arms such as Air Defense (AD), Artillery, Tank, and 2nd artillery surface-to-surface (SSM) missile units, designed to support infantry units of the Group Armies (GA). Unlike older brigades, the new RRU brigades are independent, and train to carry out independent actions with self-contained and support unit of different arms. From the official PLA news sources, new information concerning the new brigades began to surface:

Reformed Artillery brigades (pao bing lu, ) received additional arms such as Anti-Tank Guided Missiles (ATGM) and Self Propelled Anti-Tank Guns (SP-ATG) equipped with the Type 89 to give it more functionalities and flexibilities.) [52] Some of the brigades were converted from artillery divisions. In 1985, PLA had 17 field artillery divisions. There are 8 divisions still in service, while the number of artillery brigades increased to 17. [53]

A number of older Tank divisions in the north were downsized into armored brigades (Zhuang Jian Lu, ). To increase mobility, those brigades contain organic heavy transports for all tanks and other heavy equipments [54]

Since late 1999, the PLA Daily has carried numerous articles about a new combat formation, the anti-tank brigade (fan tan ke lu, ); this new brigade was reformed from tank brigades of the same military region. [55]

The most numerous brigades are motorized infantry brigades. They were downsized from motorized infantry divisions of the same Military Region containing tank, guided missile, Air defense, tube artillery, multi-rocket launchers, engineering, anti-chemical, and communications elements. [56]

PLA downsized additional 500,000 personnel in 1998, Central to the PLA's objectives, the RRU will account for some 10 to 15% of China's ground strength, or roughly 200,000 to 300,000 personnel, [57] staffed in 14 RRU divisions and an equal number of RRU brigades, According to Cao Gangchuan, PLA will continue to selectively upgrade elite unit to RRU status, [58] the total 22 divisions converted brigade, it is clear that most of them will not receive the latest equipment and training.