Militia (China)
Militia of China Zhōngguó Mínbīng | |
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Founded | 1927 |
Country | People's Republic of China |
Allegiance | Chinese Communist Party[1] |
Branch | Ground militia Maritime militia[2] |
Type | Militia Military reserve force |
Role |
|
Size | 8,000,000[3] |
Part of | Armed Forces of the People's Republic of China (under the Central Military Commission)[4] |
March | 《 (English: "March of the Militia") |
Engagements | |
Commanders | |
Chairman of the Central Military Commission | Xi Jinping |
Director of the National Defense Mobilization Commission | Li Qiang |
Minister of National Defence | General Dong Jun |
Director of the CMC National Defense Mobilization Department | Lieutenant General Sheng Bin |
Insignia | |
Badge | |
Sleeve Badge |
People's Liberation Army |
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Executive departments |
Staff |
Services |
Arms |
Domestic troops |
Special operations force |
Military districts |
History of the Chinese military |
Military ranks of China |
China portal |
The Militia (Chinese:
History[edit]
This section needs additional citations for verification. (May 2024) |
The role of the militia in the PRC has varied over the years. During the 1940s the militia served as a support force for the PLA.[6] After the 1949 foundation of the PRC, the party used the militia to reconstruct the country (in particularly the devastated railway system), to maintain Law and order in the countryside, and for defense of the borders and coast. One of the problems the militia attempted to solve was the large number of Kuomintang troops (estimated to be around 400,000) that had been discharged but had not returned to their homes. Some of these resorted to banditry to survive, and all represented a permanent security threat.[7]
It was, however, the Korean War of 1950-53 that provided the impetus for the integration of the militia with the PLA proper. In June 1950, a “Department for People's Armament” (
The militia did not, however, receive a formal legal basis until 1955, when the "Conscription Law of the People's Republic of China" (
With tensions rising with the US, the CMC met May 27 to July 22, 1958, to discuss paths to military strengthening. Peng Dehuai attempted to modernize the PLA, work more closely with the USSR, and build the militia as a reserve force for the PLA. Mao Zedong preferred to emphasize People's war and the militia was expanded under the slogan "Everyone is a Soldier". After the Kinmen Crisis of 1958, Mao became convinced that China could not rely on the USSR as an ally in case of war with the US and the Republic of China. The expansion of the militia became even faster. By January 1959, the total militia manpower had grown to 220 million out of a population of 653 million, that is to say, almost every single man and woman of military age.[9]
This degree of mobilization and the workforce depletion that training this mass force caused was a contributing factor to the disastrous famines of the Great Leap Forward.[10] At a four-week Politburo meeting in July 1959, Defense Minister Peng Dehuai, concerned about the operational capability of the People's Liberation Army due to food shortages, voiced strong criticism of the Great Leap Forward. Mao admitted to making mistakes, but then ensured that the Central Committee ejected Peng as defense minister in August under the pretext of collaborating with the Soviet Union. Lin Biao was appointed as his successor on September 17, 1959. Like Mao, Lin was a supporter of the People's War concept, but he was also an experienced field general. He was aware of the limitations of a poorly trained militia armed with only light weapons. Lin reduced the militia size, and changed the focus to more in-depth training over quantity. Every people's commune had to have a militia company (连) with around 200 personnel. This added up to around 5 million men and women.[11][12]
The militia naturally became entangled in the continuous conflict and fighting of the Cultural Revolution, and became deeply fragmented in the complex factional struggle of the times. Like everything else in China, training and organizational quality decayed in the chaos. The Gang of Four also attempted to build up the urban militia as an alternative to the PLA, but the urban militia failed to support them when Hua Guofeng and other moderate military leaders deposed them.[13]
In 1979, China fought a short but sharp war with Vietnam over Vietnamese involvement in Cambodia. 200,000 PLA soldiers were supported by several thousand "front support militiamen" (
In the Reform and Opening era, the militia and its role in a possible war with the USSR became a focus of debate. On May 31, 1984, a new conscription law was passed by the National People's Congress, where the tasks of the militia were defined in more detail in Article 36: 1) Serve as a training service as preparation for war. 2) Provide border protection 3) Maintain public safety.[16] The need for free-moving labor and the massive migration from the countryside that came with the rapid economic growth distorted the basis of the traditional militia.[citation needed]
In the “Guidelines for Militia Work” (
People's militia training centers were to be set up in the various districts progressively, provided with the necessary training material and equipment by the General Staff of the PLA. The militia members were to be compensated for the loss of earnings during training, farmers would be compensated by the municipal administration, workers and employees in the cities were to be compensated by their employers.[18]
On November 29, 1994, the Department of People's Armament at the Central Military Commission was transformed into the “National Defense Mobilization Commission” (
After the 2015 reform, the CMC created the “National Defense Mobilization Department” (
With the passage of the 2022 Reservist Law, the Militia was formally separated from the PLA Reserves.
Roles and tasks[edit]
The formal tasks of the Militia remain those defined by Article 22 of the Law of the People's Republic of China on National Defense: the Militia, under the command of military organs, shoulders the tasks of preparations against war and defense operations, and assists in maintaining public order.[4]
According to Article 36 of the Military Service Law of the People's Republic of China, the Militia's tasks are specifically:[5]
- take an active part in the socialist modernization drive and be exemplary in completing the tasks in production and other fields;
- undertake the duties related to preparations against war, defend the frontiers and help maintain public order with law enforcement organizations established by law; and
- be always ready to join the armed forces to take part in war, resist aggression and defend the nation at all costs.
The militia is organized into regional militia corps in every theater command of the PLA, which in turn oversee militia divisions and subordinate formations, and is further subdivided into specialty militia units. It is overseen by the National Defense Mobilization Commission, which can order the deployment of its personnel during either peacetime and wartime contingencies, according to the instructions by the Chairman of the Central Military Commission, who, as also the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, is overall supreme commander-in-chief of the armed services of the People's Republic.[citation needed]
As of 2023,[20] there are 20 listed types in the NDMD survey of available militia units. These give an idea of the very large number of possible missions expected from militia units:
- Emergency Response (应急)
- Stability Maintenance (维稳处突类)
- Special Search and Rescue (专业
救援 类) - Duty Support (
勤 务保障 类) - Maritime Militia (
海上 民兵 ) - Border/Coastal Defense (边
海防 民兵 ) - Air Defense (
返 空 民兵 ) - Special Support (
特 种支援 保障 ) - Engineering Repair (
工程 抢修) - Chemical Defense (
防 化 救援 ) - Transportation and Shipping (
交通 运输) - Road Protection (
保 交护路 ) - Communication Support (
通信 保障 ) - Recon Support (侦察
情 报保障 ) - Logistics Support (
后 勤 保障 ) - Equipment Support (
装 备保障 ) - Service Support (对口
保障 军兵种) - Cyber (网络)
- Intelligence (
情 报信息 ) - Sentry Posts (哨所
The list then describes 419 militia unit functional categories divided in those 20 types. The goal is to obtain specialized support forces for specific, new tasks, not to raise a mass armed force anymore.
New militia types[edit]
As that need for mass warfare has dissipated, the need for more specialized support forces capable to assist in modern system warfare, and help in Military Operations Other than War has increased.[20] In particular after 2017 and the call to "Perfect National Mobilization" there has been a concerted effort to recruit a "new-type militia force system” (
Cases such as the creation in June 2020 of five new militia units in Tibet,[20] which recruited local skilled Tibetans into specialized, highly trained and equipped special-mission groups including an air patrol, a communications team, a high altitude climbing team, and a fast reaction team.[21][22][23] The participation of skilled locals in these sort of militias is hoped to provide both cohesion-reinforcing civilian involvement, and an skilled force in aerial reconnaissance, intelligence collection, rescue operations, “countermeasure actions”, and stability maintenance. These new units resemble more the civilian auxiliaries in the US than the traditional mass militia built around villages or work units.
Private companies, which may already have contractual relationship with the state, are also a source of new type militias. Qihoo 360 Technology Co (
The shift from large-scale militias to specialized units since 2016 has entailed reducing the size of the militia and focusing on increasing its quality. As the new militia speciality formations were being activated, 27.8% of cadre militia (
Maritime Militia[edit]
China Maritime Militia (CMM) is a subset of China's national militia. The CMM trains with and supports the People's Liberation Army Navy and the China Coast Guard in tasks including[2]
- safeguarding maritime claims
- protecting fisheries
- logistics
- search and rescue (SAR)
- surveillance and reconnaissance
In the South China Sea, the CMM plays a major role in controversial maritime activities to achieve China's political goals.[2]
Maritime Militia funding and associated paramilitary training led to a reversal of the downward trend of the Chinese commercial fishing fleet. This Maritime Militia fueled expansion has led to an increase in illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.[30]
See also[edit]
- Maoism
- Mass line
- People's war
- Paramilitary forces of China
- People's Armed Police
- China Coast Guard
- Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps
- National Defense Mobilization Commission under the State Council
- National Defense Mobilization Department of the Central Military Commission
References[edit]
- ^ a b Regulation on Militia Work (2011 Revision), Article 2: "The militia is an armed organization composed of the people not released from their regular work under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC), is a part of the armed forces of the People's Republic of China and is an assistant and reserve force for the Chinese People's Liberation Army."
- ^ a b c d Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China 2017 Archived 28 August 2017 at the Wayback Machine by the Office of the Secretary of Defense, United States Department of Defense
- ^ Xu (
徐 ), Ping (平 ) (19 October 2018).民兵 到底 穿 什么服装 ?这里面 的 讲究还真不 少 . 81.cn (in Chinese (China)). PLA Daily. Archived from the original on 15 October 2020. Retrieved 26 September 2019. - ^ a b c d Law of the People's Republic of China on National Defence Archived 15 June 2019 at the Wayback Machine, Article 22: "The armed forces of the People’s Republic of China are composed of the active and reserve forces of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, the Chinese People's Armed Police Force and the Militia. ... The Militia, under the command of military organs, shoulders the tasks of preparations against war and defence operations and assists in maintaining public order."
- ^ a b Military Service Law of the People's Republic of China Archived 2 July 2019 at the Wayback Machine, Chapter VI The Militia, Article 36: "The militia is an armed organization of the masses not divorced from production and is an assisting and reserve force for the Chinese People's Liberation Army. The tasks of the militia are: ..."
- ^ Peng, Dehuai (1984). "The War of Resistance to Japanese Aggression(July 1937-August 1945)". In Grimes, Sarah (ed.). Memoirs of a Chinese Marshal: The Autobiographical Notes of Peng Dehuai (1898-1974). Translated by Zheng, Longpu. Foreign Languages Press Beijing. p. 446. ISBN 0-8351-1052-4.
During the Anti-Japanese War,.... There were ordinary and core members of the militia. There were militia teams in villages, core militia companies in districts, and in dependent militia regiments, battalions or detachments in counties.
- ^ Stephen Uhalley Jr.: A History of the Chinese Communist Party. Hoover Institution Press, Stanford 1988, pp. 81 and 96.
- ^ "
中 华人民 共和 国 兵役 法 ". www.npc.gov.cn. Retrieved 10 May 2024. - ^ Stephen Uhalley Jr.: A History of the Chinese Communist Party. Hoover Institution Press, Stanford 1988, pp. 116–120.
- ^ Stephen Uhalley Jr.: A History of the Chinese Communist Party. Hoover Institution Press, Stanford 1988, p. 121.
- ^ "请
尊崇 我 们的民兵 英 模 ". 3 January 2018. Retrieved 27 October 2018. - ^ "A01e".
- ^ a b Roberts, Thomas C. (1983). "The Chinese People's Militia and the Doctrine of the People's War" (PDF). Retrieved 6 June 2024.
- ^ King C. Chen: China's War with Vietnam, 1979. Issues, Decisions, and Implications. Hoover Institution Press, Stanford 1987, p. 114.
- ^ Dreyer, June Teufel (1982). "The Chinese Militia: CITIZEN-SOLDIERS AND CIVIL-MILITARY RELATIONS IN THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA". Armed Forces & Society. 9 (1): 63–82. doi:10.1177/0095327X8200900105. ISSN 0095-327X. JSTOR 45304652.
- ^ "
中 华人民 共和 国 兵役 法 (1984年 )". 31 May 1984. Retrieved 28 October 2018. - ^ Roberts, Thomas C. (19 September 1983). "The Chinese People's Militia and the Doctrine of People's War" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 April 2024.
- ^ "
民兵 工作 条例 ". 27 August 2009. Retrieved 28 October 2018. - ^ Richter, Erin; Rosen, Benjamin (2023). "China's National Defense Mobilization System: Foundation for Military Logistics". Army War College. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
- ^ a b c d e "Inside China's National Defense Mobilization Reform: Capacity Surveys, Mobilization Resources, and "New-Type" Militias". www.recordedfuture.com. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
- ^ "5
支 新 质民兵 分 队亮相 雪 域 高原 --军事--人民 网". military.people.com.cn. Retrieved 13 May 2024. - ^ "
西藏 军区推动新 质民兵 力量 完成 潜 力 至 战力转换 -中 华人民 共和 国 国防 部 ". www.mod.gov.cn. Retrieved 13 May 2024. - ^ "
拉 萨市新 质民兵 分 队正式 成立 齐扎拉 讲话_西藏 自治 区 人民 政府 ". www.xizang.gov.cn. Retrieved 13 May 2024. - ^ "'Stop stealing': China slams US over alleged Trojan virus hacking". South China Morning Post. 6 September 2022. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
- ^ "Qihoo 360 says US NSA is behind hacking group that has stolen Chinese data". South China Morning Post. 23 March 2022. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
- ^ "China braces for escalating fight after new Pentagon blacklist". South China Morning Post. 7 October 2022. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
- ^ He, Laura (21 February 2024). "Analysis: Preparing for war, social unrest or a new pandemic? Chinese companies are raising militias like it's the 1970s | CNN Business". CNN. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
- ^ "China's Corporate People's Armed Forces Department". thediplomat.com. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
- ^ "Why China's companies are recruiting their own militias". The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
- ^ Kraska, James. "China's Maritime Militia Vessels May Be Military Objectives During Armed Conflict". thediplomat.com. The Diplomat. Archived from the original on 7 July 2020. Retrieved 8 July 2020.