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| PLAGF | |
|---|---|
| Name | People's Liberation Army Ground Force |
| Native name | 中国人民解放军陆军 |
| Founded | 1948 (as PLA ground elements) |
| Branch | People's Liberation Army |
| Type | Ground forces |
| Garrison | Beijing |
| Commander | CPC Central Military Commission |
| Notable commanders | Mao Zedong, Zhu De, Peng Dehuai, Lin Biao |
PLAGF The People's Liberation Army Ground Force is the land warfare service branch of the People's Liberation Army, forming a principal component of the People's Republic of China's armed forces. It traces institutional lineage to the Chinese Red Army, the New Fourth Army, and the Eighth Route Army, and has been a central instrument in landmark events such as the Chinese Civil War, the Korean War, the Sino-Indian War, and the Sino-Vietnamese War. The force underwent major reforms under leaders including Deng Xiaoping and Xi Jinping to modernize toward combined-arms, mechanized, and informationized warfare.
The English acronym is formed from the official translation of the Chinese name: People's Liberation Army Ground Force. The Chinese term derives from revolutionary-era nomenclature established by Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai during the consolidation of communist military organizations in the 1930s and 1940s. Historical antecedents include formations named during the Long March and reorganizations following the Second Sino-Japanese War, reflecting continuity with units such as the First Front Army and provincialEighth Route Army contingents.
Ground forces that became the present service were organized during the late stages of the Chinese Civil War when commanders like Liu Bocheng and Chen Yi led field armies in campaigns including the Huaihai Campaign, the Liaoshen Campaign, and the Pingjin Campaign. After the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949 by Mao Zedong, the land force participated in the Korean War under marshals such as Peng Dehuai. Subsequent decades saw involvement in border conflicts including the Sino-Indian War of 1962 and the 1979 Sino-Vietnamese War, as well as internal security operations during the era of Cultural Revolution leadership struggles. Reform waves under Deng Xiaoping in the 1980s and the 2015–2016 reorganization directed by the Central Military Commission under Xi Jinping shifted the force from a massed manpower model toward modular combined-arms brigades and joint command structures.
The force is subordinated to the Central Military Commission and is organized into theater commands aligned with strategic regions, succeeding the previous military region system that included commands like the Shenyang Military Region and Guangzhou Military Region. Main operational units are combined-arms brigades alongside specialized formations drawn from former group armies such as the historic 38th Group Army and 39th Group Army. Support and sustainment elements include artillery, air-defense, engineering, chemical defense, and information support brigades, with logistics frameworks influenced by doctrines of PLA Rocket Force coordination and joint operations with the People's Liberation Army Navy and People's Liberation Army Air Force.
Primary missions assigned by the Central Military Commission encompass territorial defense, deterrence, and preparation for joint operations in regional contingencies involving states like India, Taiwan, Japan, and Russia. Doctrinal evolution reflects shifts from people's war concepts articulated by leaders such as Mao Zedong to mechanized warfare doctrines influenced by analyses of conflicts like the Gulf War and operations of militaries including the United States Army, Russian Ground Forces, and Israeli Defense Forces. Emphasis lies on informationized, joint, and precision engagement capabilities, with doctrinal publications and exercises drawing on lessons from multinational events such as RIMPAC observations and bilateral exchanges with the Pakistan Armed Forces.
Equipment modernization accelerated after the 1990s, fielding platforms including main battle tanks like the Type 99 tank, infantry fighting vehicles such as the ZBD-04, self-propelled artillery, and air-defense systems akin to the HQ-9. Advances include integration of unmanned systems, electronic warfare, and network-centric command-and-control suites interoperable with PLAAF and PLAN sensors. Logistics modernization leverages heavy transporters and rail networks connected to strategic corridors like those used during the Sino-Soviet cooperation era and contemporary infrastructure projects linked to the Belt and Road Initiative.
The land force has been deployed in major conventional campaigns including the Korean War and the 1979 Sino-Vietnamese War, and has conducted peacekeeping and non-combatant evacuation operations under United Nations mandates and bilateral arrangements in regions such as Africa and South Asia. Recent activities include joint exercises with foreign militaries, participation in UN peacekeeping missions, and regional deterrence patrols along sensitive areas near Taiwan Strait, the Line of Actual Control with India, and maritime-adjacent territories near South China Sea features.
Recruitment cycles and professional development are overseen through institutions such as the PLA National Defence University and regional academies, with career pathways shaped by military academies like the PLA Academy of Military Sciences. Training emphasizes combined-arms operations, live-fire exercises at ranges historically used by units from the Northeast China Military District, and joint interoperability with services including the People's Liberation Army Navy and People's Liberation Army Air Force. Personnel policies have shifted toward a smaller, better-trained force with higher technical specialization, reflecting reforms endorsed by leaders such as Hu Jintao and Xi Jinping.