PLA Day Special Issue: Xi's Military Reforms

Hello,

I sincerely hope that you are doing well. Today is the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Day. As the PLA celebrates its 95th Anniversary, I am delighted to share my recently published journal article with you on Xi’s Military Reforms and its Efficacy in Furthering China’s National Security Objectives. Manoj Kewalramani and I have been working on this article since October 2019, and we are happy that it was published last week in the India Quarterly Journal; and we are able to share it with you on the PLA’s 95th Anniversary.

Abstract: The reforms intend to remove the ‘institutional obstacles, structural contradictions and policy problems’ with the aim of modernising the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) organisational structure in order to ‘further unleash its combat effectiveness’. They also aim to convert the PLA into a world-class force by 2049. However, assessing the reform process in the context of organisational structures and force-specific objectives, it appears that there remains much to be desired. The reforms have certainly made the PLA a better-equipped regional force. But they have, thus far, only had a limited impact in terms of preparing the PLA to meet key strategic and security objectives.