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Logistical Support
The PLA strives actively to reform its logistical
structure and system, construct a modern logistical support system and
constantly enhance its logistical support capabilities.
The introduction of the joint logistics system is a
major reform of the logistical support system of the PLA. The joint logistics
system is based on military area commands. It combines regional support with
organic system support and general supply support with special supply support.
Unified general-purpose material supply and service support are provided by
military area commands, and special material supply and service support are
provided by the services and arms through their organic channels. The General
Logistics Department is in charge of the PLA's joint logistics work. The
military area command's joint logistics department is in charge of the joint
logistics work within a theater of war. And the joint logistics sub-department
is mainly responsible for organizing and implementing the general-purpose
support of the services and arms within its support area. After more than two
years' practice of reform, the joint logistics system has been standardized
gradually with notably improved efficiency. The system will be further developed
into one that integrates the three armed services, the army and the people, and
combines peacetime and wartime footing.
In order to streamline the logistical support
organizations and improve the cost-effectiveness of defense expenditures, the
PLA has carried out a reform featuring the socialization of logistical support
in non-combat units at and above the corps level, and in military colleges and
schools and hospitals in large and medium-sized cities. After nearly three years
of effort, substantial progress has been achieved in this regard, including
reform in food and commercial services, barracks, and the administration of
civilian employees. Reform has also been carried out, on a trial basis, in
non-military transportation, fuel supply and the monetized supply of clothing.
So far, the PLA has already had more than 1,500 messes run by civilian services,
more than 1,000 post exchanges integrated into civilian service systems, more
than 1,800 barracks managed by real estate companies, approximately 300 support
enterprises and farms transferred to central and local authorities, reducing a
total number of more than 300,000 institutional and business employees. In order
to promote the reform of socialization of military logistical support and to
ensure the development of the reform, in September 2002, the State Council and
the CMC issued an Announcement Concerning the Issues of Advancing the Reform of
Military Logistical Support, and in October, the CMC approved the General
Logistics Department's Opinions on Some Issues Concerning the Socialization of
Military Logistical Support.
In March 2001, the PLA began to reform the budgetary
planning system. Drawing on the internationally adopted budgeting method, the
PLA reformed its budgeting form, method and content extensively, with emphasis
placed on implementation of the zero-base budget method, so as to give full play
to the budget's macro-control role and gradually establish a new budgeting
pattern featuring the concentration of financial power and resources, scientific
distribution of military expenditures, concrete and transparent itemization, and
tight supervision and control.
In January 2002, the PLA carried out an
across-the-board reform of the procurement system, focusing mainly on
concentrated procurement and procurement through public bidding, and set up a
mechanism for sectional management, which features cooperation with proper
division of labor and mutual restriction. High value, large quantity,
general-purpose materials are procured in a concentrated way by relying mainly
on the material procurement departments. Bulk materials with one-time
procurement value exceeding RMB 500,000 yuan, and projects newly built,
expanded, or revamped each involving an investment of over RMB 2 million yuan
are undertaken through public bidding.
Currently, the method of combining military support
with social support, government house with self-owned house, and supply in kind
with supply in money is adopted for PLA officers' housing system. Officers of
all ranks and all military branches are provided with appropriate housing
support. Active service officers live mainly in government houses. Retired
officers are entitled mainly to purchase the houses they are living in or other
affordable houses. Demobilized officers and noncommissioned officers transferred
to civilian posts should be ensured of housing benefits mainly by subsidies and
incorporation into the social security system.
The PLA constantly strengthens the development of its
logistical equipment and upgrades its logistical support means. In 2001, it
carried out coordinative experiments in the overall support capability of
logistical equipment organically and systematically; developed logistical
equipment in seven aspects - rapid maritime rescue and treatment of the wounded,
shore party support, air field support, mobility support for missile units,
air-dropped material support, individual support and field logistics command;
and completed the demonstration, R&D and testing of 86 kinds of new
equipment. In order to obtain and process information on the resources,
requirements and conditions of logistical support real-time and in a precise and
transparent way, the PLA is doing research on a video logistics system. In July
2002, the CMC promulgated the Regulations on the Logistical Equipment of the PLA
to promote the regularized development of logistical equipment.
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