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On
May 18, 2017, China disclosed the PLA'S NEW GROUP ARMY ORBAT:
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Threater
Command
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Old
Designation
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New
Designation
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Eastern
TC
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12th
Group Army
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71st
Group Army
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1st
Group Army
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72nd
Group Army
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31st
Group Army
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73rd
Group Army
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Southern
TC
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41st
Group Army
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74th
Group Army
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42nd
Group Army
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75th
Group Army
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14th
Group Army
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Decommissioned
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Western
TC
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21st
Group Army
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76th
Group Army
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13rd
Group Army
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77th
Group Army
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47th
Group Army
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Decommissioned
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Northern
TC
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16th
Group Army
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78th
Group Army
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39th
Group Army
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79th
Group Army
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26th
Group Army
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80th
Group Army
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40th
Group Army
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Decommissioned
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Central
TC
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65th
Group Army
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81st
Group Army
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38th
Group Army
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82nd
Group Army
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54th
Group Army
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83rd
Group Army
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20th
Group Army
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Decommissioned
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27th
Group Army
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Decommissioned
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The surviving Group Armies will be re-organized into 13 larger and more
powerful outfits, their number would range from 71st to 83rd (as
above). Song Zhongping, a military expert who served in the Second
Artillery Corps (now known as the PLA Rocket Force), told the Global Times on
May 24, 2017,that "The change in designation is significant. In the
past, armies only included the PLA army, but in the future, the air force, navy
and Rocket Forces will also be included in the group armies and given a new
designation." He said the previous designation, which only belonged
to the army, is not suitable for the new group army, and the new group armies
will be considered a big unit command during war. This will fundamentally
change the structure of China's military. He explained that the group armies
are the main part of the PLA, and its structure, duty and combat capabilities
will be changed significantly after this reform, but the reform takes time, and
the change in designation is just the first step. Separately, an anonymous
PLA Navy officer told the Global Times that the 1st Group Army's 1st
Division will be commissioned in the PLA Navy's Marine Corps, and this division
will be in charge of offensives after Marine landing operations. The
Global Times clarified that it has received no official confirmation of this
information.
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