The Central Theater Command () is one of the
five theater commands of the
People's Liberation Army
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the principal military force of the People's Republic of China and the armed wing of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The PLA consists of five service branches: the Ground Force, Navy, Air Force, ...
of
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
, and was founded on 1 February 2016.
Its predecessors were the
Beijing Military Region
The Beijing Military Region was one of seven military regions for the Chinese People's Liberation Army. From the mid 1980s to 2017, it had administration of all military affairs within Beijing city, Tianjin city, Hebei province, Shanxi province, ...
and
Jinan Military Region
The Jinan Military Region was a PLA Military Region located in the east of the People's Republic of China, covering the Shandong and Henan Provinces, which also formed military districts. It appears that Yang Dezhi was one of the first commander ...
.
The
International Institute for Strategic Studies
The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) is a British research institute or think tank in the area of international affairs. Since 1997, its headquarters have been Arundel House in London, England.
The 2017 Global Go To Think T ...
attributes to the command of 300,000 personnel, consisting of three group armies
81st Group Army
The 81st Group Army (), formerly the 65th Group Army, is a military formation of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Ground Forces (PLAGF). The 81st Group Army is one of twelve total group armies of the PLAGF, the largest echelon of ground for ...
,
82nd Group Army
The 82nd Group Army (), formerly the 38th Group Army, is a military formation of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Ground Forces (PLAGF). The 82nd Group Army is one of twelve total group armies of the PLAGF, the largest echelon of ground forces ...
,
83rd Group Army
The 83rd Group Army (), formerly the 54th Group Army, is a military formation of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Ground Forces (PLAGF). The 83rd Group Army is one of twelve total group armies of the PLAGF, the largest echelon of ground f ...
(Formerly
27th Army, 38th Army, and the 65th Army), two armoured divisions, one mechanised infantry division, five motorised divisions, one artillery division, three armoured, seven motorised infantry, four artillery, a total of five various anti-aircraft brigades, and one anti-tank regiment. The command is also augmented by the , which consists of the
1st Guard and the
3rd Guard Divisions, and the
Beijing Garrison Honor Guard Battalion
The Beijing Garrison Honor Guard Battalion (), officially the PLA Honour Guard, is a ceremonial honour guard and specialised unit of the People's Liberation Army (PLA). It is composed of representatives of the People's Liberation Army Ground For ...
and Color Guard Company, both of them are charged with
public duties
Public duties are performed by military personnel, and usually have a ceremonial or historic significance rather than an overtly operational role.
Armenia
Since September 2018, the Honour Guard Battalion of the Ministry of Defense of Armenia has ...
, and is also home to the PLA Navy (PLAN)
North Sea Fleet
The Northern Theater Command Navy (), or the North Sea Fleet (NSF; ) is one of the three fleets of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy, under the Northern Theater Command. In September 1950 the Qingdao Army Base was redesignated as a naval ...
and the PLA Air Force (PLAAF)
10th Air Force Corps.
In addition to guarding the capital, the CTC is the main military theater command in charge of training key personnel for leadership positions through the numerous military academies in the region.
Area of responsibility
The Central Theater Command's area of responsibility (AOR) consists of the previous
Beijing Military Region
The Beijing Military Region was one of seven military regions for the Chinese People's Liberation Army. From the mid 1980s to 2017, it had administration of all military affairs within Beijing city, Tianjin city, Hebei province, Shanxi province, ...
, including the capital
Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
and the neighboring provinces and directly governed municipalities of
Tianjin
Tianjin (; ; Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Tientsin (), is a municipality and a coastal metropolis in Northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the nine national central cities in Mainland China, with a total popul ...
,
Hebei
Hebei or , (; alternately Hopeh) is a northern province of China. Hebei is China's sixth most populous province, with over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. The province is 96% Han Chinese, 3% Manchu, 0.8% Hui, an ...
,
Shaanxi
Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see #Name, § Name) is a landlocked Provinces of China, province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichu ...
,
Shanxi
Shanxi (; ; formerly romanised as Shansi) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the North China region. The capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-lev ...
,
Henan
Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is al ...
and
Hubei
Hubei (; ; alternately Hupeh) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, and is part of the Central China region. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Dongting Lake. The prov ...
.
The command's primary responsibility is the defense of the nation's capital,
Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
, and it serves as the national strategic military reserve.
Commanders
*
Han Weiguo
Han Weiguo (; born January 1956) is a general (''shang jiang'') of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA). He has been Commander of the PLA Ground Force from August 2017 to June 2021, and formerly served as the inaugural Commander of the Cent ...
(January 2016 – August 2017)
*
Yi Xiaoguang (August 2017 – August 2021)
*
Lin Xiangyang
Lin Xiangyang (; born October 1964) is a general ('' shangjiang'') of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) who is the current commander of Eastern Theater Command, in office since January 2022. Previously he served as commander of Central Theater Co ...
(August 2021 – present)
PLA Ground Forces
Regiments/Units
81st Group Army
*
7th Heavy Combined Arms Brigade
*
70th Light Combined Arms Brigade, located in
Tangshan Prefecture,
Hebei Province
Hebei or , (; alternately Hopeh) is a northern province of China. Hebei is China's sixth most populous province, with over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. The province is 96% Han Chinese, 3% Manchu, 0.8% Hui, an ...
*
162nd Motorized Infantry Division, located in
Anyang Prefecture,
Henan Province
Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is al ...
* 189th Medium Combined Arms Brigade
* 194th Combined Arms Brigade
*
195th Heavy Combined Arms Brigade, located in
Yutian County,
Hebei Province
Hebei or , (; alternately Hopeh) is a northern province of China. Hebei is China's sixth most populous province, with over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. The province is 96% Han Chinese, 3% Manchu, 0.8% Hui, an ...
82nd Group Army
*
6th Heavy Combined Arms Brigade, located in Nankou Town Area,
Changping District
Changping District (), formerly Changping County (), is a district situated in the suburbs of north and northwest Beijing.
History
Changping County and Jundu County which administered the area were established in the Han Dynasty. Changping was i ...
,
Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
*
80th Medium Combined Arms Brigade
*
127th Light Mechanized Infantry Division (a.k.a. the Red Army Division), located in
Luoyang Prefecture,
Henan Province
Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is al ...
* 151st Heavy Combined Arms Brigade
*
188th Heavy Combined Arms Brigade
*
196th Light Combined Arms Brigade
83rd Group Army
*
11th Heavy Combined Arms Brigade
*
58th Medium Combined Arms Brigade, located in
Xuchang Prefecture,
Henan Province
Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is al ...
*
60th Medium Combined Arms Brigade, located in
Minggang Town Area,
Xinyang Prefecture,
Henan Province
Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is al ...
*
113th Combined Arms Brigade, located in
Baoding Prefecture,
Hebei Province
Hebei or , (; alternately Hopeh) is a northern province of China. Hebei is China's sixth most populous province, with over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. The province is 96% Han Chinese, 3% Manchu, 0.8% Hui, an ...
* 131st Combined Arms Brigade
*
193rd Medium Combined Arms Brigade, located in
Xuanhua District
Xuanhua is an urban district of Zhangjiakou in northwestern Hebei Province, China.
Xuanhua is a very old city with a rich military and agricultural history. Xuanhua was historically the "Gateway to Beijing", which lies to its southeast. As a ...
,
Zhangjiakou Prefecture,
Hebei Province
Hebei or , (; alternately Hopeh) is a northern province of China. Hebei is China's sixth most populous province, with over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. The province is 96% Han Chinese, 3% Manchu, 0.8% Hui, an ...
PLA Beijing Garrison
*
1st Guard Division , located in
Haidian, Beijing
**3rd Guard Regiment (Heavy Infantry)
**4th Guard Regiment (Light Quick reaction force)
**5th Guard Regiment (Light Quick reaction force)
**
Central Guard Regiment
The Central Guard Unit (CGU; PLA Unit 61889), formerly known as the Central Guard Regiment (CGR; PLA Unit 8341) is a unit of the People's Liberation Army Ground Force (PLAGF) of the People's Republic of ChinaPollpeter and Allen (ed.): p. 28 ...
**
Honor Guard Battalion
*
3rd Guard Division, located in
Tongzhou, Beijing
**11th Guards Regiment (showcase unit)
**13th Guards Regiment (special security unit)
**Armored Regiment
**Artillery Regiment
**Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment
**Support Battalion
*17th Guard Regiment
*Reserve Unit
*Reserve Officer Training Corps
*Reserve Artillery Division, located in
Huairou
Huairou District () is situated in northern Beijing about from the city center (about a 1½ to 2 hour drive).
History
In 1995 during the United Nation's 4th World's Women Conference in Beijing, the Civil Society community was forced to meet in t ...
, Beijing
*Reserve Chemical Defense Regiment, located in
Xicheng, Beijing
See also
*
Central Theater Command Ground Force
*
Central Theater Command Air Force
References
{{coord missing, China
Theater commands of the People's Liberation Army
Military units and formations established in 2016
2016 establishments in China
Military of Beijing
Military of Tianjin