Central Theater Command
Military region of China
| Central Theater Command | |
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| 中部战区 | |
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| Founded | 1 February 2016; 8 years ago (2016-02-01) |
| Country |  People's Republic of China |
| Allegiance |  Chinese Communist Party |
| Type | Theater Command |
| Role | Command and control |
| Size | 300,000 |
| Part of | Central Military Commission People's Liberation Army |
| Headquarters | Beijing |
| Motto(s) | 听党指挥、能打胜仗、作风优良 |
| Website | Official website |
| Commanders | |
| Commander | General Huang Ming |
| Political Commissar | General Xu Deqing |
| Chief of Staff | General Jia Jiancheng |
| Insignia | |
| Sleeve insignia |  |
Military unit
| Central Theater Command | |||||||
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| Simplified Chinese | 中部战区 | ||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 中部戰區 | ||||||
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| Domestic troops |
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| History of the Chinese military |
| Military ranks of China |
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The Central Theater Command is one of the five theater commands of the People's Liberation Army of China,[1] and was founded on 1 February 2016.[2] Its predecessors were the Beijing Military Region and Jinan Military Region.[3]
The International Institute for Strategic Studies attributes to the command of 300,000 personnel, consisting of three group armies 81st Group Army, 82nd Group Army, 83rd Group Army (Formerly 27th Army, 38th Army, and the 65th Army), two armoured divisions, one mechanised infantry division, five motorised divisions, one artillery division, three armoured, seven motorised infantry, four artillery, a total of five various anti-aircraft brigades, and one anti-tank regiment.[4] The command is also augmented by the PLA Beijing Garrison, which consists of the 1st Guard and the 3rd Guard Divisions, and the Beijing Garrison Honor Guard Battalion and Color Guard Company, both of them are charged with public duties, and is also home to the PLA Navy (PLAN) North Sea Fleet and the PLA Air Force (PLAAF) 10th Air Force Corps.
In addition to guarding the capital, the CTC is the main military theater command in charge of training key personnel for leadership positions through the numerous military academies in the region.[citation needed]
Area of responsibility
The Central Theater Command's area of responsibility (AOR) consists of the previous Beijing Military Region, including the capital Beijing and the neighboring provinces and directly governed municipalities of Tianjin, Hebei, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan and Hubei.[5]
The command's primary responsibility is the defense of the nation's capital, Beijing, and it serves as the national strategic military reserve.[6]
Commanders
- Han Weiguo (January 2016 – August 2017)
- Yi Xiaoguang (August 2017 – August 2021)
- Lin Xiangyang (August 2021 – January 2022)
- Wu Yanan (January 2022 – January 2023)
- Huang Ming (January 2023 – present)
Organizational Structure
PLA Ground Forces
Regiments/Units
81st Group Army
- 7th Heavy Combined Arms Brigade
- 70th Light Combined Arms Brigade, located in Tangshan Prefecture, Hebei Province
- 162nd Motorized Infantry Division, located in Anyang Prefecture, Henan Province
- 189th Medium Combined Arms Brigade
- 194th Combined Arms Brigade
- 195th Heavy Combined Arms Brigade, located in Yutian County, Hebei Province
82nd Group Army
- 6th Heavy Combined Arms Brigade, located in Nankou Town Area, Changping District, Beijing
- 80th Medium Combined Arms Brigade
- 127th Light Mechanized Infantry Division (a.k.a. the Red Army Division), located in Luoyang Prefecture, Henan Province
- 151st Heavy Combined Arms Brigade
- 188th Heavy Combined Arms Brigade
- 196th Light Combined Arms Brigade
83rd Group Army
- 11th Heavy Combined Arms Brigade
- 58th Medium Combined Arms Brigade, located in Xuchang Prefecture, Henan Province
- 60th Medium Combined Arms Brigade, located in Minggang Town Area, Xinyang Prefecture, Henan Province
- 113th Combined Arms Brigade, located in Baoding Prefecture, Hebei Province
- 131st Combined Arms Brigade
- 193rd Medium Combined Arms Brigade, located in Xuanhua District, Zhangjiakou Prefecture, Hebei Province
PLA Beijing Garrison
- 1st Guard Division, located in Haidian, Beijing
- 3rd Guards Regiment (Heavy Infantry)
- 4th Guards Regiment (Light Quick reaction force)
- 5th Guards Regiment (Light Quick reaction force)
- Central Guard Regiment
- Honor Guard Battalion
- 3rd Guard Division, located in Tongzhou, Beijing
- 11th Guards Regiment (showcase unit)
- 13th Guards Regiment (special security unit)
- Armored Regiment
- Artillery Regiment
- Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment
- Support Battalion
- 17th Guard Regiment
- Reserve Unit
- Reserve Officer Training Corps
- Reserve Artillery Division, located in Huairou, Beijing
- Reserve Chemical Defense Regiment, located in Xicheng, Beijing
PLA Air Forces
See also
References
- ^ Zhen, Liu (January 4, 2018). "Xi Jinping calls for battle readiness as troops stage massive winter drills across China". South China Morning Post. Retrieved January 4, 2018.
Dressed in a winter camouflage uniform and flanked by the other members of the supreme Central Military Commission, Xi issued the call from a military base in the Central Theatre Command, one of the country's five military zones, as troops in 4,000 sites across the country took part in simultaneous drills in the armed forces' annual new year exercises on Wednesday.
- ^ "President Xi announces establishment of five PLA theater commands". Ministry of National Defense of the People's Republic of China. 1 February 2016. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
A grand inauguration ceremony was held to mark the founding of the five theater commands of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) in Beijing on Feb. 1, 2016....and Han Weiguo and Yin Fanglong, commander and political commissar of the Central Theater Command....
- ^ "原七大军区调整为五大战区 北京湖北等隶属中部战区". hb.sina.com.cn. Retrieved 2022-08-02.
- ^ International Institute for Strategic Studies, The Military Balance 2006
- ^ Teo, Cheng Wee (3 Feb 2016). "Military rezoning shows China's focus is on winning wars". The Straits Times. Singapore Press Holdings. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
[see map graphic for list of provinces]
- ^ Army Techniques Publication (ATP) 7-100.3 Chinese Tactics. Washington, D.C.: Headquarters, Department of the Army (United States). 2021. p. 36. ISBN 9798457607118.
 Structure of the People's Liberation Army Ground Force | |||||||
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| PLAGF Headquarters directly subordinate units |
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| Eastern Theater Command Ground Force |
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| Southern Theater Command Ground Force |
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| Western Theater Command Ground Force |
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| Northern Theater Command Ground Force |
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| Central Theater Command Ground Force |
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