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Epoch Times
26-05-2025
- Business
- Epoch Times
New Chinese Military Academies Mark Next Phase in PLA Modernization
Commentary China's restructuring of its military academies is a targeted effort to prepare for high-tech, joint warfare in the Indo–Pacific. On May 15, Senior Colonel Jiang Bin, the newly appointed spokesperson of the Ministry of National Defense, announced a major restructuring of the Chinese military's education system. Approved by the Central Military Commission, the reform establishes three new academies intended to align officer training with the evolving organizational structure of the People's Liberation Army (PLA): the University of Army Branches in Hefei, the Information Support Force Engineering University in Wuhan, and the Joint Logistics Support Force Engineering University in Chongqing. Each academy will provide specialized training aligned with structural changes in the PLA. By focusing on cyber operations, logistics, and branch-specific skills, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to build a force capable of high-tech, integrated joint operations in line with CCP leader Xi Jinping's goal of a 'world-class' These developments directly affect the Indo–Pacific security environment, enhancing the PLA's ability to project power, sustain operations, and compete in non-kinetic domains, such as electronic warfare and information control. These new academies are designated as higher education institutions and will recruit high school graduates through China's national military recruitment system. Details on majors, enrollment quotas, and academic schedules will be released in coordination with national recruitment authorities. Related Stories 5/25/2025 5/24/2025 This model of branch-specific training differs significantly from the U.S. approach, where federal academies operate at the service level rather than by operational branch. These include the Military Academy at West Point (Army, Department of Defense), Naval Academy at Annapolis (Navy, Department of Defense), Air Force Academy (Air Force, Department of Defense), Coast Guard Academy (Department of Homeland Security), and Merchant Marine Academy (Department of Transportation). U.S. academies commission graduates broadly into their respective services, with specialization, such as cyber, logistics, or aviation, occurring after commissioning through dedicated branch schools. The Marine Corps and Space Force branches do not operate their own academies; instead, they draw officers from the Naval and Air Force academies, respectively. By contrast, China's new academies commission officers directly into specific branches such as the Information Support Force and the Joint Logistics Support Force, rather than broadly into service-level commands. The PLA University of Army Branches is fully dedicated to branch-level training and was created by merging the Army Academy of Armored Forces with the Army Academy of Artillery and Air Defense. The Information Support Force Engineering University was formed by combining the Information and Communication College of the National University of Defense Technology with the Communication Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) School of the Army Engineering University. The Joint Logistics Support Force Engineering University in Chongqing was created by consolidating the Army Logistics Academy, the Army Military Transportation University, and the affiliated Automobile NCO Academy. China is improving its ability to conduct integrated, multi-domain operations by centralizing training for key branches. The The current overhaul aligns new command structures with dedicated institutions focused on cyber, logistics, and high-tech warfare, reflecting the CCP's recognition that modern combat requires engineers and systems operators, not just ideological conformity or frontline combat troops. According to Zhang Junshe, a former PLA Naval Research Academy researcher, the reform consolidates scattered resources to 'enhance the professionalism of education' and produce a system 'greater than the sum of its parts.' This reform provides China's newest military branches, the Information Support Force and Joint Logistics Support Force, with dedicated educational institutions to train officers from the ground up, replacing earlier reliance on generalized or legacy academies. The Information Support Force, which Its establishment underscores the CCP's long-term commitment to dominating the information environment, shaping digital battlespaces, and waging For Washington and its allies, these developments highlight the urgency of strengthening cyber defenses, sustaining technological superiority, and reinforcing Indo–Pacific defense capabilities and alliances. Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
The Star
17-05-2025
- Business
- The Star
China announces new military academies as part of PLA modernisation drive
China is reorganising its military education system and establishing academies for new service branches, as the People's Liberation Army (PLA) pushes hard for modernisation. According to the Ministry of Defence, the PLA Ground Force Service Academy will be based in Hefei, Anhui province; the PLA Information Support Force Engineering University in Wuhan, Hubei province; and the PLA Joint Logistics Support Force Engineering University in Chongqing. These academies will open recruitment for high school graduate applicants, with admission programmes and student enrolment to be announced in follow-up notices, ministry spokesman Jiang Bin said on Thursday. Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team. Jiang said that the initiative was taken to 'adapt to the needs of restructuring military services and the military talent training'. The new institutes will provide the PLA's new service branches, the Information Support Force (ISF) and Joint Logistics Support Force (JLSF), distinct channels to directly recruit high school graduates, strengthen their talent pool and train personnel to their needs. Since 2016, the PLA has been undergoing a structural overhaul, to reshape the Chinese military build-up and improve its proficiencies to fit modern and hi-tech warfare by 2027, as they work towards achieving a 'world-class' military by 2049. The PLA disbanded its Strategic Support Force in April 2024 and inaugurated its functional units – the ISF, the Military Aerospace Force and the Cyberspace Force – as independent service branches reporting to the Central Military Commission. They are all deputy-theatre-grade forces alongside the JLSF, which was created in 2016. The ISF is to coordinate the management of the military's networks and communications systems, while the JLSF is to integrate the PLA's logistics system across the country to support fast-paced joint operations. The new institutions reorganize or combine some existing PLA academies, mainly those of the PLA Ground Force (PLAGF). The Ground Force Service Academy will combine the Armoured Force Academy and Artillery and Air Defence Academy of the PLAGF. The Joint Logistics Support Force Engineering University will merge the PLAGF's Logistics Academy and Military Transportation University, including its subordinate Automobile Cadet College. The Information Support Force Engineering University is composed of the Information and Communication Department of the National University of Defence Technology and the Communication Cadet College of the Army (Ground Force) Engineering University. After the restructuring, the PLAGF will still operate numerous other academies, including the Command College; Engineering University; Infantry College; Special Combat Operation Academy; Army Aviation Corps Academy; Institute of NBC Defence (for nuclear, biological and chemical weapons); and Army Medical University. More from South China Morning Post: For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2025.
Miami Herald
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
China Fires Warning at US Treaty Ally
China has fired a warning shot at the Philippines following a close naval encounter with the U.S. defense treaty ally earlier this week near a contested feature in the South China Sea. Newsweek reached out to the Chinese Foreign Ministry by email with a request for comment. China claims most of the South China Sea as its territory-putting it at odds with the Philippines, Vietnam, and several other neighbors with competing claims. Video released by the Philippines shows a pair of Chinese navy frigates on Monday carrying out what Manila called "high-risk" maneuvers as they intercepted a Philippine corvette near Scarborough Shoal. The traditional fishing ground, known in the Philippines as Bajo de Masinloc and in China as Huangyan Island, lies within the Southeast Asian country's exclusive economic zone and has been the site of tense face-offs between Chinese and Philippine government forces. During the Chinese Defense Ministry's regular press briefing Thursday, newly appointed spokesperson Jiang Bin said a Philippine warship had attempted to "intrude" into China's territorial waters. He said it was the Philippine side that had approached in a "dangerous manner," "seriously threatening China's sovereignty and security" and that Chinese forces had taken "necessary measures to block and drive it away." "We urge the Philippine side to stop all dangerous acts of infringement and provocation, and to refrain from challenging China's firm resolve to safeguard its national territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests-otherwise, it will only bring harm upon itself," Jiang said. China's maritime forces seized effective control over the uninhabited atoll after a 2012 standoff with the Philippines. The feature was addressed in a 2016 ruling by an international arbitral tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands, that largely dismissed China's South China Sea claims. The Chinese refused to participate in the proceedings and maintain the decision is illegitimate. Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, a Philippine Armed Forces spokesperson, told Newsweek: "Bajo de Masinloc is a high-tide elevation with a territorial sea. It is part of the Philippine territory, and we have sovereignty over it. "We have regular maritime and air patrols to Bajo de Masinloc and will keep conducting these patrols in furtherance of our mandate. The Chinese Communist Party's claim has no basis in international law with the 2016 ruling of the Arbitral Tribunal reinforcing the Philippines' stand." China is expected to continue pressing its territorial claims in the South China Sea. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has vowed not to cede "one square inch" of Manila-claimed waters. He is expected to continue his administration's efforts to modernize the Philippine military and bolster security ties with the U.S. and regional partners such as Japan and Australia. Related Articles US Ally Plans Long-Range Missile Test Amid China and Russia ThreatsChina's Space Projects on US Doorstep Have Military WorriedChina Makes Overtures to Allies in America's BackyardDonald Trump Takes Well-Deserved Victory Lap on Middle East Tour | Opinion 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
South China Morning Post
16-05-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
China announces new military academies as part of PLA modernisation drive
China is reorganising its military education system and establishing academies for new service branches, as the People's Liberation Army (PLA) pushes hard for modernisation. According to the Ministry of Defence, the PLA Ground Force Service Academy will be based in Hefei, Anhui province; the PLA Information Support Force Engineering University in Wuhan, Hubei province; and the PLA Joint Logistics Support Force Engineering University in Chongqing. These academies will open recruitment for high school graduate applicants, with admission programmes and student enrolment to be announced in follow-up notices, ministry spokesman Jiang Bin said on Thursday. Jiang said that the initiative was taken to 'adapt to the needs of restructuring military services and the military talent training'. The new institutes will provide the PLA's new service branches, the Information Support Force (ISF) and Joint Logistics Support Force (JLSF), distinct channels to directly recruit high school graduates, strengthen their talent pool and train personnel to their needs. Since 2016, the PLA has been undergoing a structural overhaul, to reshape the Chinese military build-up and improve its proficiencies to fit modern and hi-tech warfare by 2027, as they work towards achieving a 'world-class' military by 2049.
South China Morning Post
16-05-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
China announces three new military academies as part of PLA modernisation drive
China is establishing three new military academies, as the People's Liberation Army (PLA) pushes hard for modernisation. Advertisement According to the Ministry of Defence, the new institutions are the PLA Ground Force Service Academy in Hefei, Anhui province; the PLA Information Support Force Engineering University in Wuhan, Hubei province; and the PLA Joint Logistics Support Force Engineering University in Chongqing. These academies will open recruitment for high school graduate applicants, with admission programmes and student enrolment to be announced in follow-up notices, ministry spokesman Jiang Bin said on Thursday. Jiang said that the initiative was taken to 'adapt to the needs of restructuring military services and the military talent training'. The new institutes will provide the PLA's new service branches, the Information Support Force (ISF) and Joint Logistics Support Force (JLSF), distinct channels to directly recruit high school graduates, strengthen their talent pool and train personnel to their needs. Advertisement Since 2016, the PLA has been undergoing a structural overhaul, to reshape the Chinese military build-up and improve its proficiencies to fit modern and hi-tech warfare by 2027, as they work towards achieving a 'world-class' military by 2049.
