China’s new move to downsize its 2.3-million strong military will result in laying off of about 1.70 lakh officers as the world’s largest Army plans to scrap two of its existing seven commands and three corps to streamline forces.
Officers will account for more than half of the 3,00,000 personnel to go in President Xi Jinping’s plans to streamline the People’s liberation Army (PlA), Hong Kong-based the South China Morning Post said, citing unnamed military officials.
At least 1,70,000 officers, ranging from lieutenants to colonels, in China’s land forces would be laid off after two of the existing seven military commands and three Army corps were scrapped, the Morning Post quoted Chinese officials as saying.
They will be offered early retirement packages.
Each key military command has two to three army corps, with each corps having 30,000 to 50,000 troops. Shutting down two commands would mean the loss of about 120,000 personnel.