SECTION 12
COMMAND POSTS

The PLAAF currently has eight Command Posts (zhihuisuo) located throughout China, whose mission is to integrate the air defense units to protect a particular area or city. These Command Posts have two separate origins -- three of them were the regional PLAAF Headquarters for three Military Regions prior to the reduction from eleven to seven Military Regions in 1985, and five of them were formed from previous Air Corps (jun/kongjun jun). 

Some Command Posts have supplemented the money received from HqAF by various methods. For example, one of the Dalian Command Post's subordinate units made 4.5 million yuan (120 million USD) from 1985-1988 by engaging in private enterprise. The Command Post used the money to improve the quality of life aspects for a total of 25 companies belonging to the three radar regiments. Some money was also used to enlarge parking ramps at one of the aviation regiments that received a new type of aircraft. 

COMMAND STAFF

The command staff at a typical Command Post consists of the following personnel: 

Position                                                                                                                                           Rank

Commander (silugyuan)                                                                                                                  Maj Gen

Political commissar (zhengwei)                                                                                                        Maj Gen

Deputy commander (1)                                                                                                                    Sr Col

No deputy political commissar

Chief of staff (Director, Headquarters Dept)                                                                                   Col

Director, Political Division                                                                                                                Col

Director, Logistics Division                                                                                                              Col

Director, Maintenance Division                                                                                                       Col 

Each Command Post has a Party Committee (dangwei) and a Party Standing Committee (dangwei changwei). The Standing Committee consists of the command staff, and the Party Committee consists of the Standing Committee plus the commander and political commissar of each subordinate unit. 

The command staff and the directors of each of Command Post administrative elements are equivalent to positions in the Army at the army (jun), division (shi), and regiment (tuan) level. Therefore, each person's rank is still not as important as the Armyequivalent position that person holds. The Command Post-Army equivalent positions are as follows:

Command Post Position	Equivalent
Dalian CP Commander	Army Commander
Tangshan CP Commander	Army Deputy Commander
Xian CP Commander	Army Commander
Wulumuqi CP Commander	Army Commander
Shanghai CP Commander	Army Deputy Commander
Wuhan CP Commander	Army Commander
Kunming CP Commander	Army Commander
Chengdu CP Commander	Army Commander
Lhasa CP Commander	Division Commander

ADMINISTRATIVE STRUCTURE

Over the past several years, Command Posts have replaced five former Air Corps. One of the primary reasons for this change was to eliminate various administrative functions and to make the Command Post an operational (not an administrative) organization. As a result, the first level Political Department, Logistics Department, and Aeronautical. 

Engineering Department which are found at the HqAF, MRAF Headquarters, and Air Corps Headquarters levels have all been reduced to a Political Division, Logistics Division, and Aircraft Maintenance Division, and placed directly under the Headquarters Department (silig bu) . Some Command Posts, such as Xian and Wuhan, do not have any directly subordinate aviation units, so they do not have an Aircraft Maintenance Division. In addition, some of the administrative divisions (chu) in the Headquarters Department have been eliminated, and their functions at the unit level are now managed directly from the MRAFHeadquarters. The Headquarters Department (siling bu) has at least 16 second level divisions as shown in Figure 1:

 - Political Division (zhenjzzhi chu)

 - Logistics Division (houqin chu)

 - Maintenance Division diwu chu)

 - Operations Division (zuozhan chu)

 - Intelligence Division (qingbao chu)

  - Scientific Research Division (kevan chu)

 - Equipment Division(zhuangbei chu)

 - Military Affairs Division (junwu chu)           

 - Radar Division (leida Chu)                          

- CommunicationsDivision (tongxin chu)

-  AAA Division (gaopao chu)                                                                                                                                                  

 - Administrative Division(guanli chu)                                                                                                                                                                             

 - Air Traffic Control Division (hangxing chu)

  - Navigation Division(linghang chu)

 - Confidential Division (jiyao chu)

 - Weather office (aixian shi)

 - Command Post (zhihuisuo) 

OPERATIONAL STRUCTURE

Unlike the Air Corps, Command Posts do not have number designators. Instead, they take the name of their location, such as the Dalian Command Post. In addition, their names are usually shortened to two characters. For example, the Dalian zhihuisuo is simply known as Dazhi. 

A typical Command Post controls one or more aviation units, 1-3 radar regiments, 1-2 AAA regiments, and 1-2 SAM regiments. Some Command Posts also control a combined (AAA/SAM) brigade (huncheng lu). Within each Command Post's Headquarters Department there is a Command Post (also called a zhihuisuo), which is best translated as an operations centers. The operations center is separate from the Operations Department and comes under the chief of staff. There is at least one representative from each of the Headquarters Department's second-level administrative divisions. Each subordinate operational unit also has an operations center. 

In August 1985, the 11 Military Regions were reduced to seven. Although each of the 11 Military Regions had a PLAAF Headquarters, not all of them had the status of an MRAF Headquarters (junqu kongjun). For example, the PLAAF's regional Headquarters at Chengdu, Kunming, and Wulumuqi were MRAF Command Posts (junqu kongjun zhihuisuo) and were directly subordinate to HqAF. Furthermore, they only had the status equivalent to an Air Corps. In addition, the Lhasa Command Post only has the status equivalent to a brigade (lu). The Command Posts as of 1991 are shown below (See Map): 

MRAF	Location	Name
Shenyang	Dalian	Dazhi
Beijing	Tangshan	Tangzhi
Lanzhou	Xian	Xizhi
Lanzhou	Wulumuqi	Wuzhi
Nanjing	Shanghai	Shangzhi
Guangzhou	Wuhan	Wuzhi
Jinan	None	None
Chengdu	Kunming	Kunzhi
Chengdu	Lhasa	Lazhi

                                                                                                                                         

 The Dalian Command Post (Dalian zhihuisuo/Dazhi) was originally the 3rd Air Corps (kong 3 jun).

 The 6th Air Corps (kong 6 jun) was originally established in Jinan, but was replaced in June 1967 by the Jinan MRAF (junqu kongjun) Headquarters. The 6th Air Corps then moved to Tangshan, where it was noted in 1976 during the earthquake. Sometime after 1976 it became the Tangshan Command Post (Tangshan zhihuisuo/1'angzhi).

 The 11th Air Corps (kong 11 jun) was located in Hetian in the 1960s, and replaced the Lanzhou MRAF Headquarters at Xian, when the MRAF Headquarters moved from Xian to Lanzhou. Later, the Xian Command Post (Xian zhihuisuo/ Xizhi) replaced the 11th Air Corps.

 The Wulumugi Command Post (Wulumuqi zhihuisuo/Wuzhi) was formed as the 9th Air Corps in November 1964. In November 1978, the 9th Air Corps became the Xinjiang MRAF Command Post (Xinjiang junqu kongjun zhihuisuo), then changed its name to the Wulumuqi MRAF Command Post (Wulumuqi junqu kongjun zhihuisuo) on 16 April 1979. When the Wulumuqi Military Region was abolished in August 1985, it became the Wulumuqi Command Post (Wulumuqi zhihuisuo/ Wuzhi).

 The Shanghai Command Post (Shanghai zhihuisuo/Shangzhi) was originally the 4th Air Corps.

 When the Xinan (Southwest) Military Region headquarters in Chengdu moved to Wuhan in May 1955, the Xinan MRAF became the Wuhan MRAF (Wuhan junqu kongjun/Wukong). When the Wuhan Military Region was abolished in August 1985, the Wuhan MRAF became the Wuhan Command Post (Wuhan zhihuisuo/Wuzhi).

 The Kunming MRAF Command Post (Kunming junqu kongjun zhihuisuo/Kunzhi) was established on 1 August 1960, and later became the Kunming Command Post (Kunming zhihuisuo/Kunzhi) in August 1985.

 The Chengdu MRAF Command Post (Chengdu junqu kongjun zhihuisuo/ Chengzhi) was established on 20 October 1965. The Chengdu MRAF Command Post was upgraded to a full MRAF Headquarters (junqu kongjun) on 15 August 1985, making it an equal to the other six MRAF Headquarters.

 The Lhasa Command Post (Lasa zhihuisuo/Lazhi) is the smallest command post and is equivalent to a brigade.

 

 

 

 

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