78th Group Army

The 78th Group Army of the Chinese People's Liberation Army is affiliated to the Army in the Northern Theater , and the military headquarters is located in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province.

The group army comprises various modern units such as infantry, artillery, armored signal, antichemical warfare, engineer, air defense, air, and electronic countermeasure units. Though Group Armies often are considered to be corps-sized units, in reality they control many fewer personnel and units than do corps in the US military. A group army with an all brigade maneuver force would be more comparable to a US division than a corps. After the reductions of the late 1990s, the variation in group army structure has increased considerably from previous years. In the 1990s, a Group Army could vary in size from 65,000 to 100,000+ personneL, but by 2020 the totals were about half these numbers.

After the formation of the 78th Army of the Army in 2017, it had jurisdiction over:

• 8th Heavy Combined-Arms Brigade
• 78th Heavy Combined-Arms Brigade
• 202nd Heavy Combined-Arms Brigade
• 204th Heavy Combined-Arms Brigade
• 15th Medium Combined-Arms brigade
• 48th Light Combined-Arms Brigade
• 78th Special Operations Brigade
• 78th Army Air Force Brigade
• 78th Artillery Brigade
• 78th Air Defense Brigade
• 78th Chemical Prevention Brigade
• 78th Service Support Brigade

The official English version of the 2013 "China National Defense White Paper" does not use the term "group army", but refers to China's "combined corps". The State Council Information Office, April 2013 release "Diversified Employment at The Armed Forces of China" stated: "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)". By force of custom, these units are still called Group Armies.

In 2017, based on the existing 18 Group Armies were adjusted, 13 Group Armies and formed. China's military established five Theater Commands for its operations on 01 February 2016, realigning forces previously distributed under 7 Military Regions. In this round of deepening national defense and military reforms, after the establishment of the army's leading institutions and theaters, in accordance with the principle of "the general management of the military commission, the theater's main battle, and the service's construction", the 18 group armies that previously belonged to the original seven military regions were reassigned to each theater. On 27 April 2017 the Central Military Commission decision adjust the formation of the original 18 Group Armies into 13 newly formed Group Armies. with each of the five Theater Commands. After adjustment, the army forces in each theater had jurisdiction over 2 to 3 Group Armies that were relatively balanced.

Honored Troops

The units that have been awarded the honorary title are:

• Iron Hammer Regiment : The first battalion of the sixty-eighth brigade of the original 16th Army Infantry. (Formerly 25 Army, 73 Division, 217 Regiment, 23 Army, 68 Division, 202 Regiment) In 2017, transferred to the Army Seventy-eighth Army
• Exemplary Red 5th Regiment : The first 36th Regiment of the 46th Division of the original 16th Army Infantry. The number was revoked in 2017 .
• Model Red 12th Regiment , Pingjiang Uprising 1st Regiment : Former Army 16th Army Infantry 46th Division 139th Regiment
• Anti-Flood Rescue Model Regiment : Former Army Sixteenth Army Infantry Sixty-ninth Division 205th Regiment
• The 1st Battalion of Dengcheng : The 1st Battalion of the 1st and 4th Regiments of the 48th Division of the former 16th Army Infantry
• Ping Xingguan War Assault Company , Model Hong Nine Company : Former Army Sixteenth Army Infantry Forty-sixth Division One Three Sixth Regiment Ninth Company
• Breakthrough first company of Wujiang : the 7th company of the 3rd Battalion of a mechanized infantry brigade of the former 16th Army of the Army. Transferred to the 78th Army of the Army in April 2017
• White Tiger Company : A company from an armored brigade of the 26th Army of the former Army. Transferred to the 78th Army of the Army in 2017
• Shouru Taishan Company : transferred to the 78th Army of the Army in 2017
• Dong Cunrui class : former army XVI Army artillery brigade in a class. Transferred to the 78th Army of the Army in 2017