Gerui Zhang , Brandon Tran
On October 17, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) of the People’s Republic China (PRC) released a statement by video and text detailing disciplinary actions against nine PLA general officers. [1] The ministry revoked their Party memberships and military rank, and they now await further consequences (MND, October 17). Of the nine generals listed, seven held major commands in the former Nanjing Military Region Command, with He Weidong (何卫东), Miao Hua (苗华), Lin Xiangyang (林向阳), Qin Shutong (秦树桐), and Wang Xiubin (王秀斌) all serving in the former 31st Group Army (BBC News, October 23). He Weidong, Miao Hua, and He Hongjun (何宏军) controlled personnel selection, promoting the interests of their network of officers (China Brief Notes, October 17).
The purge of general officers responsible for planning and operations related to the unification of Taiwan has prompted a possible temporary strategic realignment. Given that the highest ranks of the PLA experienced an overhaul of officers in the PLA Navy and Eastern Theater Command, the probability of success for a protracted blockade or joint amphibious landing campaign has decreased. The remaining PLA leadership has incentives to pursue other strategies for unification, such as a joint firepower strike campaign or decapitation strikes. The purges therefore may influence a shift in PLA strategic decision-making, at least in the short-term.
No comments:
Post a Comment