Demobilization of One Million Troops (Great Disarmament)

A Major event in respect to streamlining and reforming of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. During the 10 years between 1975-1984, the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) carried out four consecutive reforms of streamlining, reduced its personnel to 4 million, but these adjustments could not fundamentally solved the problem of "detumescence" of the Army.

Between May 23 and June 6, 1985, the Central Military Commission held an expanded meeting, Deng Xiaoping, then Chairman of the Central Military Commission, made a speech and made a proposal to reduce the number of posts in the People's Liberation Army troops by one million. On July 11, 1985, the Central Committee of the CPC and the Central Military Commission jointly approved the “Military System Reform, Streamlining and Integration Programme”. By April 1987, the task of streamlining and reorganizing the PLA was basically completed.

The personnel working in headquarters of the People's Liberation Army, various military posts and services, major military regions and staff in the departments of the Commission for Science, Technology and National Defense Industry and their immediate subordinate units were merged and their staff was reduced by nearly half.

The former originally 11 military regions in China were reduced and adjusted to 7, as well as 31 units at or above the military level were reduced.

4,050 units at the division and regiment levels were abolished; 76 posts within certain army departments and troops were transferred from army officers to enlisted personnel. The ratio of officers to ordinary soldiers was reduced to 1:3.3.

After the reduction of 1 million posts, the total military men were reduced to 3 million. The leadership teams of the three general headquarters, major military regions and military branches were re-adjusted and equipped militarily according to the guidelines of revolutionization, as well as with the aim of achieving a younger, knowledgeable and professional army. Demobilization of one million troops has paved the way for building a lean and strong military force with Chinese characteristics, as well as promoted the modernization and regularization process of the People's Liberation Army.