Gao Jin (; born April 1959) is a general of the Chinese

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, ...

(PLA). Since April 2019, he has served as Director of the

Logistic Support Department of the Central Military Commission The Logistic Support Department of the Central Military Commission () is a department under the Central Military Commission of the People's Republic of China. It was founded on January 11, 2016, under Xi Jinping's military reforms. The departmen ...

. Prior to that, he served as the inaugural commander of the PLA Strategic Support Force from 2016 to 2019, President of the

PLA Academy of Military Science The Academy of Military Sciences () is the highest-level research institute of the People's Liberation Army of China. It is headquartered in Beijing. Its president is General Yang Xuejun (since June 2017) and Lt. General Fang Xiang is the politi ...

, and Chief of Staff of the

Second Artillery Corps The People's Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF; ), formerly the Second Artillery Corps (), is the strategic and tactical missile force of the People's Republic of China. The PLARF is the 4th branch of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and c ...

, where he spent most of his career.

Biography

Gao Jin was born in

Jingjiang Jingjiang () is a county-level city under the administration of Taizhou, Jiangsu province, China. It is located on the northern (left) bank of the Yangtze River, and is the southernmost part of Taizhou City, bordering Nantong to the northeast, Suz ...

, Taizhou,

Jiangsu Jiangsu (; ; pinyin: Jiāngsū, Postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Kiangsu or Chiangsu) is an Eastern China, eastern coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China. It is o ...

province in 1959, to parents who were both PLA soldiers. He joined the PLA in 1978 without telling his family, and spent most of his career in the

, China's strategic missile force. Gao entered the Second Artillery Command College in 1985, and graduated with a master's degree in engineering. Reportedly a battalion commander of the 815th Brigade, of what was, at that time, the PLA's Second Artillery Corps. This unit was reportedly involved in the firing of

DF-15 The Dong-Feng 15 (a.k.a. DF-15, M-9, CSS-6) is a short-range ballistic missile developed by the People's Republic of China. The DF-15 and the newer DF-16 are thought to be the only non-nuclear missiles in use by the People's Liberation Army Rock ...

ballistic missiles in the

Third Taiwan Strait Crisis The Third Taiwan Strait Crisis, also called the 1995–1996 Taiwan Strait Crisis or the 1996 Taiwan Strait Crisis, was the effect of a series of missile tests conducted by the People's Republic of China (PRC) in the waters surrounding Taiwan ...

and would become this unit's commander in 1997. He then rose through the ranks of the Second Artillery Corps, becoming deputy chief of staff of what was then Base 52 (now Base 61 of the

People's Liberation Army Rocket Force The People's Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF; ), formerly the Second Artillery Corps (), is the strategic and tactical missile force of the People's Republic of China. The PLARF is the 4th branch of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and ...

) in 2001, chief of staff of Base 52 in 2007 and overall commander in 2009, eventually becoming chief of staff of the Second Artillery Corps in December 2011. In 2012, he was elected an alternate member of the

18th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party The 18th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party was elected by the 18th National Congress on 15 November 2012, and sat in plenary sessions until the communing of the 19th National Congress in 2017. It was formally proceeded by the 17t ...

(2012–2017). He was made a lieutenant general ('' zhongjiang'') in July 2013. He was promoted twice in 2014, first to assistant chief of the

PLA General Staff Department The Joint Staff Department of the Central Military Commission (JSDCMC) () is the command organ and the headquarters for the People's Liberation Army (PLA), superseding the former PLA General Staff Department (GSD). It was established on 11 J ...

in July, and on December 22, he became President of the

, the PLA's top research institute, enjoying the same rank as the commanders of the PLA's seven military regions. At age 55, he became the youngest regional chief-level commander of the PLA. He succeeded General Liu Chengjun, who had reached retirement age. On December 31, 2015, as part of wide-ranging reforms of the People's Liberation Army, Gao was named first commander of the PLA Strategic Support Force. On July 28, 2017, Gao was promoted to the rank of General. Gao has published many academic articles, and has won technological and military awards. The Communist Party mouthpiece ''

People's Daily The ''People's Daily'' () is the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The newspaper provides direct information on the policies and viewpoints of the CCP. In addition to its main Chinese-language ...

'' has praised him as a "technologically powerful military leader."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gao, Jin 1959 births Living people People's Liberation Army generals from Jiangsu People from Taizhou, Jiangsu Members of the 19th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party