Xi Eliminates Military Headquarters

000313-D-2987S-062 Vietnamese Defense Minister Lt. Gen. Pham Van Tra (left) escorts Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen (right) as he inspects the troops during an armed forces honors ceremony at the Ministry of Defense Guest House in Hanoi, Vietnam, on March 13, 2000. Cohen is the first U.S. defense secretary to visit Vietnam since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975. DoD photo by Helene C. Stikkel. (Released)

China’s President Xi Jinping on Monday announced the restructuring and modernization of the country’s military headquarters.

The four headquarters overseeing staff, politics, logistics and armaments will be replaced by 15 agencies under the control of the ruling Communist Party’s Central Military Commission.

State media quoted Xi as urging military commanders to “unswervingly follow the (party’s) absolute leadership over the armed forces,” and to “frequently, actively and resolutely” align their direction with the party’s Central Committee and the Central Military Commission.

The move is yet another example of how Xi has been steadfast in centralizing power.

He has also been moving forward with downsizing the military by about 300,000 personnel to get rid of several non-combat-related functions.

The president’s massive reorganization and modernization project is expected to affect Beijing’s entire 2.3 million-strong armed forces.

In China, the People’s Liberation Army is responsible for serving the ruling Communist Party rather than the nation or its people..

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