PLA reorganized into 13 army corps, says expert

Central News Agency

2017/04/24 14:34:30

Hong Kong, April 24 (CNA) Mainland China's 18 army corps have been reorganized into 13 army corps, according to a military expert in Hong Kong.

The expert, Leung Kwok-leung (梁國樑), told a CNA reporter on Monday that the 13 new army corps of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) will also use new numeric designations that start from 71.

He said the PLA has had 70 army corps in its history and the new numbers are simply an extension of that tradition.

Leung also said, according to his information, the new 71st, 72nd and 73rd army corps will come under the Eastern Theater Command; the 74th and 75th under the Southern Theater Command; the 76th and 77th corps under the Western Theater Command.

Three each of the six remaining army corps fall under the Northern Theater Command and the Central Theater Command.

He also quoted sources as revealing that the PLA's 15th airborne army is likely to be upgraded as the new 84th Airborne Army Corps, an indication that mainland China is trying to improve its airborne forces.

Leung expects the new 84th Airborne Army Corps to include an airborne assault group similar to that of the U.S. 101st Airborne Division.

Meanwhile, a military website run by Beijing's Global Times reported today that the new vice head of the 76th Army Corps visited a commemoration of the Red Army in Gansu days ago.

This was the first time the name of the new 76th Army Corps has been officially mentioned.

(By Stanley Cheung)