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Logistic Support Department
General Logistics Department

In January 2016 China reorganized its four military headquarters -- staff, politics, logistics and armaments -- into 15 new agencies under the Central Military Commission (CMC). Next in protocol order tot he Political Work Department is the Logistics Support Department, which is responsible for overseeing logistics support, setting standards, performing inspections, and carrying out other duties previously entrusted to the General Logistics Department (GLD), Joel Wuthnow and Phillip C. Saunders report.

The former GLD’s Audit Bureau, which was transferred to the CMC in November 2014, will remain under direct CMC supervision. A key focus of the new department will probably be on improving logistics support for joint operations, which has been an objective for several years.276 The relationship between the Logistics Support Department, Joint Logistics Support Force, services, and theater commands remained a key question. The General Logistics Department, headed by a director, is responsible for production, supply, transportation, housing, pay, and medical services. Historically, much of this support came from the civilian populace, and before the establishment of the General Logistics Department it was organized most often by commissars.

The PLA's General Logistics Department (GLD) is responsible for logistics and quartermaster duties, primarily food and uniforms. Once equipment is procured, its upkeep becomes the responsibility of the PLA's GLD. Although the GLD controls a few depot-level maintenance facilities, primarily for heavy vehicles, maintenance is primarily the province of the "owning" formation, or PLA unit. Extensive repair operations, particularly for aircraft and naval vessels, apparently involve the manufacturers (in the case of shipbuilding, the manufacturers control the primary shipbuilding and repair facilities).

PLA logistical resources in the 1980s and 1990s were far fewer than those of Western or Soviet forces; in the event of war the Chinese military would be heavily dependent upon the militia and civilians. In 1985 the General Logistics Department was reorganized, its staff cut by 50 percent, and some of its facilities turned over to the civilian sector.

The GLD manages the daily supply and distribution system of the PLA. It maintains the budget offices for the PLA as well as operating the transfer of funds from the military commercial activities, defense-industrial organizations, civilian support services and the national defense accounts. The GLD runs the large agricultural and capital construction operations of the PLA. It also operates the majority of the army-run factories, although the management of those factories may not be active military personnel.