Joshua M. Arostegui
Introduction
The Chinese Communist Party’s massive active-duty army—the largest in the world—understates the manpower available to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) during a future protracted war. Despite the hundreds of thousands of combat troops garrisoned around the country, a prolonged war of attrition will require more than movement of forces from one side of the country to another. The People’s Liberation Army’s reserve force has prepared to supplement troops and units since 1983, but unlike its US and Russian counterparts, China has yet to use its reservists during a time of war.1 Nevertheless, Xi Jinping has emphasized the modernization and restructuring of PLA reserve forces in recent years. Chinese Premier Li Qiang, when announcing the 2024 defense budget, explicitly stated one of the main priorities for the People’s Liberation Army would be expansion of its reserve force.2
No comments:
Post a Comment