Military Regions - 1985-2016

The commanders of the military regions had operational command operations of most ground forces in their geographical areas. The military area commands (theaters of war) of the PLA are military organizations set up according to the state's administrative divisions, geographical locations, strategic and operational orientations, and operational tasks. Under each military area command are a number of Army combined corps, units of various arms, logistical support units, and provincial or garrison commands. Their major functions include organizing and coordinating the joint operations and exercises of the ground, naval and air forces in each military area; exercising direct leadership over Party affairs, military training, administration, political work, logistical and armaments support of the Army units under its jurisdiction; and directing the militia, military service, mobilization, civil air defense and battlefield construction work in the military area.

The People's Liberation Army began a modernization effort following the 1979 Sino-Vietnamese War, which made it clear to China's top commanders that a large and ill-equipped army was not a reliable instrument of national security policy. In May, 1985, China solemnly declared that the People's Liberation Army (PLA) would reduce military personnel by one million. Reapportionment and merger reduced the number of military area commands from eleven to seven. More than 5,900 units above the regimental level were dispersed through dismantling, merging, demoting or reforming.

Since the 1980s, China replaced the regional and field army organization and divided up the nation's troops into 7 Military Regions.

• The Southeast Area (Nanjing Military Region and Guangzhou Military Region): 5 army groups were deployed, numbering about 480,000 in total as of 1998.
• The Northeast Area (Shenyang Military Region): The total strength was approximately 310,000 persons, organized into 5 army groups as of 1998.
• The Southwest Area (Chengdu Military Region): The total manpower amounted to 180,000 persons, composed of 2 army groups as of 1998.
• The Northwest Area (Lanzhou Military Region): Two army groups are deployed in the area, a force numbering more than 220,000 in total as of 1998.
• The Capital Area (Beijing Military Region): The total strength amounted to about 410,000 persons, organized into 6 army groups as of 1998.
• The Strategic Reserve (Jinan Military Region): The total manpower was some 240,000 persons, consisting of 4 army groups as of 1998.

In the 1985 million disarmament, the military region was adjusted from eleven to seven. In July 1985, the Central Military Commission Decided to adjust 11 military regions to 7 military regions: Shenyang Military Region and Beijing Military Region will remain unchanged and maintain the original system; Fuzhou Military Region will be merged into Nanjing Military Region; Wuhan Military Region will be merged into Jinan Military Region and Guangzhou Military Region; Kunming Military Region will be merged into Chengdu Military Region; The Urumqi Military Region was changed to the Xinjiang Military Region, downgraded to the level of the regiment, and placed under the leadership of the Lanzhou Military Region. Revoke the Fuzhou Military Region, Wuhan Military Region, Kunming Military Region, Urumqi Military Region.

Compared with the six military regions in the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China, there was only one more Jinan military region. Due to the expansion of the theater’s scope, sufficient military personnel, abundant material resources, and increased depth of battle, the military regions adjusted this time have basically improved the capability of independent combat.

The military region has command, command, political, and logistics departments and other leading commanding organs. It has jurisdiction over a number of army group armies, various arms, logistics support forces, provincial military regions, and military academies. In 1998, each military region established an equipment department to lead its equipment support work in parallel with the military department's department, government, and rear organs. In 1999, the Logistics Department of the Military Region was changed to the Joint Logistics Department to implement joint logistics support for the Army, Navy, Air Force and Second Artillery Force within the jurisdiction.