The People's Liberation Army Navy Marine Corps (PLANMC), also known as the People's Liberation Army Marine Corps (PLAMC), is the
marine force 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, ...
(PLA) and one of five major branches of the
PLA Navy
The People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN; ), also known as the People's Navy, Chinese Navy, or PLA Navy, is the maritime service branch of the People's Liberation Army.
The PLAN traces its lineage to naval units fighting during the Chines ...
(PLAN) responsible for
amphibious warfare
Amphibious warfare is a type of offensive military operation that today uses naval ships to project ground and air power onto a hostile or potentially hostile shore at a designated landing beach. Through history the operations were conducte ...
,
expeditionary operations and
rapid responses. It currently consists of seven 6,000-man
combined armed brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division.
Br ...
s and four other supporting brigades including
aviation
Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' includes fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air craft such as hot air ...
,
engineering & chemical defense,
artillery
Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...
and service-support brigades for a total of 40,000. It further includes a brigade-level
special operations
Special operations (S.O.) are military activities conducted, according to NATO, by "specially designated, organized, selected, trained, and equipped forces using unconventional techniques and modes of employment". Special operations may include ...
unit called "Jiaolong Commando Unit" ()
History
![Marines of the People's Liberation Army (Navy)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/37/Marines_of_the_People%27s_Liberation_Army_%28Navy%29.jpg)
The present PLAN Marine Corps was originally established in April 1953 during the
Chinese Civil War
The Chinese Civil War was fought between the Kuomintang-led government of the Republic of China and forces of the Chinese Communist Party, continuing intermittently since 1 August 1927 until 7 December 1949 with a Communist victory on m ...
by
Communist Chinese
, anthem = "The Internationale"
, seats1_title = National People's Congress (13th)
, seats1 =
, seats2_title = NPC Standing Committee
, seats2 =
, flag = Flag of the Chinese Communist Pa ...
troops to conduct amphibious operations against islands held by the
Nationalists
Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: The ...
. By the end of the Korean War, the PLAN Marine Corps numbered 110,000 personnel organized in eight divisions. However, the organization was disbanded in October 1957 when the leadership of China abandoned any plans to seize the island of
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
. Following the disbanding of the Marine Corps, the
People's Liberation Army Navy
The People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN; ), also known as the People's Navy, Chinese Navy, or PLA Navy, is the maritime service branch of the People's Liberation Army.
The PLAN traces its lineage to naval units fighting during the Chinese ...
(PLAN) did maintain a naval infantry force, which consisted of several infantry and amphibious tank
regiment
A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation.
In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...
s.
In 1979 the
Central Military Commission of China re-established the Marine Corps and organized it under the PLAN. On 5 May 1980, the 1st Marine Brigade was activated on
Hainan
Hainan (, ; ) is the smallest and southernmost province of the People's Republic of China (PRC), consisting of various islands in the South China Sea. , the largest and most populous island in China,The island of Taiwan, which is slightly l ...
.
In view of the growing tension between Mainland China and the Republic of China during the 1990s, the number of PLAN Marine Corps units was again increased. 1st Marine Brigade China was reinforced and rearmed. In July 1998, the 164th Motorized Infantry Division of the PLA Ground Force’s
41st Group Army had been transferred to the PLAN
South Sea Fleet
The Southern Theater Command Navy (), or the South Sea Fleet (SSF; ) is one of the three fleets of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy, operating in the South China Sea under the Southern Theater Command. It is headquartered in Zhanjiang, G ...
and became the
164th Marine Brigade
The 145th Division () was created in November 1948 under ''the Regulation of the Redesignations of All Organizations and Units of the Army'', issued by Central Military Commission on November 1, 1948, basing on the 34th Division, 12th Column of ...
, with its homebase in
Zhanjiang
Zhanjiang (), historically spelled Tsamkong, is a prefecture-level city at the southwestern end of Guangdong province, People's Republic of China, facing Haikou city to the south.
As of the 2020 census, its population was 6,981,236 (6,994,832 ...
,
Guangdong Province
Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...
. In February 2017, it was reported that the
77th Motorized Infantry Brigade of the
26th Group Army
The 80th Group Army ), formerly the 26th Group Army, is a military formation of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Ground Force, People's Liberation Army Ground Forces (PLAGF). The 80th Group Army is one of twelve total Group army (military unit ...
was transferred to the PLAN.
The PLAN Marine Corps participated in multiple international exercises, including participation in RIMPAC, and engages with
USMC
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through co ...
in mutual training and friendly cultural exchanges during the Bush and Obama administrations as part of its "tranquillity and good order" policy according to its navy chief. However, with the Trump administration the PLA Navy and PLANMC were dis-invited from the 2018 Rim of the Pacific and the US Marines are trained to fight against the PLANMC.
Organization
The PLAN Marine Corps is subordinate to the
PLA Navy
The People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN; ), also known as the People's Navy, Chinese Navy, or PLA Navy, is the maritime service branch of the People's Liberation Army.
The PLAN traces its lineage to naval units fighting during the Chines ...
Headquarters, the
Joint Staff Department and the
Chairman of the Central Military Commission Chairman of the Central Military Commission may refer to:
*Chairman of the Central Military Commission (China)
*Chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea
See also
*Secretary of the Central Military Commission of the ...
(CMC).
18,000 marines are under the
Southern Theater Command
The Southern Theater Command () is one of the five theater commands of the People's Liberation Army, founded on 1 February 2016. Its predecessor was the Guangzhou Military Region.
Its jurisdiction includes Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan, Yunnan, H ...
, with 6,000 being under
Eastern Theater Command
The Eastern Theater Command () is one of the five theater commands of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), founded 1 February 2016. It replaced the Nanjing Military Region. The command is headquartered in Nanjing.
Its jurisdiction includes Ji ...
and 12,000 being under
Northern Theater Command
The Northern Theater Command (is) one of the five theater commands of the People's Liberation Army, founded on 1 February 2016. Its predecessor is the Shenyang Military Region and Beijing Military Region. Its headquarters is in the Heping D ...
.
These brigades possess combined arms units, including
armor
Armour (British English) or armor (American English; see spelling differences) is a covering used to protect an object, individual, or vehicle from physical injury or damage, especially direct contact weapons or projectiles during combat, or fr ...
,
artillery
Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...
,
missile
In military terminology, a missile is a guided airborne ranged weapon capable of self-propelled flight usually by a jet engine or rocket motor. Missiles are thus also called guided missiles or guided rockets (when a previously unguided rocket i ...
,
air defense
Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...
, and
logistics
Logistics is generally the detailed organization and implementation of a complex operation. In a general business sense, logistics manages the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of consumption to meet the requirements of ...
.
The Six brigades are as follows:
* 1st and 2nd (ex-164th) Marine Brigades – both based in
Zhanjiang
Zhanjiang (), historically spelled Tsamkong, is a prefecture-level city at the southwestern end of Guangdong province, People's Republic of China, facing Haikou city to the south.
As of the 2020 census, its population was 6,981,236 (6,994,832 ...
* 3rd Marine Brigade based in
Jinjiang
* 4th Marine Brigade based in
Jieyang
Jieyang () is a prefecture-level city in eastern Guangdong Province (Yuedong), People's Republic of China, part of the Chaoshan region whose people speak Chaoshan Min distinct from neighbouring Yue speakers. It is historically important as the ...
* 5th Marine Brigade in
Laoshan
* 6th Marine Brigade based in
Haiyang
Haiyang (), a coastal city in Shandong province in eastern China, located on the Yellow Sea (southern) coast of the Shandong Peninsula. It is a county-level city under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Yantai.
Haiyang's claim t ...
.
Each Marine Brigade is organized into the following elements:
* 1 × Brigade HQ and Service Company
* 3 x Marine Combined Arms Battalion (1 x Heavy with
ZTD-05 Amphibious Tank, 1 × Medium with
ZBD-05 Amphibious IFV and 1 × Light with
VP4 ATV
On2 TrueMotion VP3 is a (free file format, royalty-free) Lossy compression, lossy video compression format and video codec. It is an incarnation of the TrueMotion video codec, a series of video codecs developed by On2 Technologies.
There is no f ...
)
* 1 x Air Assault Battalion
* 1 x Marine Artillery Battalion
* 1 × Air Defense Battalion
* Marine Reconnaissance Battalion
* Combat Support Battalion
* Service Support Battalion
PLAN Marine Corps is not the only force capable of amphibious operations in People's Liberation Army. Marine Corps are primarily composed of
light infantry
Light infantry refers to certain types of lightly equipped infantry throughout history. They have a more mobile or fluid function than other types of infantry, such as heavy infantry or line infantry. Historically, light infantry often fought ...
, supplementing the heavily armed
PLA Ground Force
The People's Liberation Army Ground Force (PLAGF; ) is the land-based service branch of the People's Liberation Army and the largest and oldest branch of the entire Chinese armed forces. The PLAGF can trace its lineage from 1927 as the Chine ...
amphibious combined-arms brigades. Under the joint-operation command structure, Marine Corps will establish landing parameters before the ground force engages.
Equipment
![Shooting range at 1st Marine Brigade in Zhanjiang, China](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/Shooting_range_at_1st_Marine_Brigade_in_Zhanjiang%2C_China..jpg)
; Personnel equipment
*
Type 95 Assault Rifle
*
Type 95B Carbine
*
QBB-95
The Type 95 automatic rifle () or QBZ-95 is a bullpup assault rifle designed and manufactured by Norinco, and issued since 1995 as the service rifle for the People's Liberation Army, People's Armed Police and various paramilitary law enforcement ...
Squad Automatic Weapon
*
QBU-88
The QBU-88 sniper rifle is a Chinese bullpup designated marksman rifle developed by Norinco for the People's Liberation Army.
History
During the 1979 Sino-Vietnamese War, China captured samples of the Soviet-designed Dragunov sniper rifle, which ...
Designated Marksman Rifle
*
QCW-05
The QCW-05 (, also referred to as the Type 05 Suppressed Submachine Gun) is a suppressed bullpup submachine gun, manufactured and developed by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) 208 Research Institute and Jianshe Industries (Group) Corporation ...
Submachine Gun
*
QSZ-92
The QSZ-92 () is a semi-automatic pistol designed by Norinco.
History
The development of the QSZ-92 pistol began circa 1994 and it is now being adopted by the People's Liberation Army's forces. The export variants (9×19 mm versions) include the ...
Pistol
* QBS-06 underwater rifle
*
QLZ-87 grenade launcher
The QLZ-87 (also known as Type 87) 35 mm automatic grenade launcher (AGL) is an air-cooled, gas operated fully automatic weapon and is crew transportable (12~20 kg) with limited amounts of ammunition. Unusual for handheld grenade la ...
*
QBU-10
The QBU-10 or Type 10 sniper rifle is a semi-automatic anti-materiel rifle designed and manufactured by Norinco. First introduced in 2010, it has since seen use by the People's Liberation Army Ground Force, People's Liberation Army Navy, and Ma ...
sniper rifle
*
QLU-11 grenade launcher/sniper
*
PF-89
The PF-89 or Type 89 is a portable, disposable, unguided, shoulder-launched, anti-tank rocket-propelled rocket launcher. Developed by Norinco for People's Liberation Army, PF-89 was designed to replace the obsolete Type 69 RPG, providing a man-p ...
rocket launcher
* PF-97 rocket launcher
*
DZJ-08
The DZJ-08 () is a portable, disposable, unguided, shoulder-launched, multipurpose recoilless weapon. The weapon is designed as a multi-role assault weapon aiming to provide anti-armor, anti-fortification, and anti-personnel capability.
Designe ...
rocket launcher
; Armour
*
Type 15 tank
The Type 15 (, also designated ZTQ-15), nicknamed the Black Panther (), is a Chinese third generation light tank operated by the People's Liberation Army Ground Force and People's Liberation Army Navy Marine Corps. It could become a successor t ...
*
ZTL-11 Amphibious Assault Gun
*
ZBL-08 Amphibious IFV
*
ZSL-10 Amphibious APC
*
ZTD-05 Amphibious Assault Gun
*
ZBD-05 Amphibious IFV
*
ZSD-05 Amphibious APC
*
WZ551
The WZ-551 is a Chinese wheeled infantry fighting vehicle family. The name WZ-551 actually covers two families of vehicles with the official designations in the People's Liberation Army (PLA) of Type 90 and Type 92. Over 3,000 WZ-551s are in se ...
Wheeled APC
; Aircraft
*
Z-9WA attack helicopter
*
Z-9C utility helicopter
*
Z-18 transport helicopter
; Artillery and ammunition
*
PLZ-07B self-propelled howitzer
*
PLL-09 self-propelled howitzer
*
Type 89 self-propelled howitzer
*
HJ-8
The HJ-8 or Hongjian-8 and Baktar Shikan (Pakistani version) () is a second generation tube-launched, optically tracked, wire-guided anti-tank missile system which was originally deployed by China's People's Liberation Army since the late 1980s.
...
Anti-tank missile
*
HJ-73
The 9M14 Malyutka (russian: Малютка, links=no; "Little one", NATO reporting name: AT-3 Sagger) is a manual command to line of sight (MCLOS) wire-guided anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) system developed in the Soviet Union. It was the first ...
Anti-tank missile
Chinese marines use the QBZ-95 as their main armament, though this is set to change as the PLA is set to replace the QBZ-95 with the
QBZ-191
The QBZ-191 Automatic Rifle () is a Chinese assault rifle chambered for the 5.8×42mm intermediate cartridge, designed and manufactured by Norinco as a new-generation service rifle for the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and People's Armed Polic ...
as its standard service rifle.
The
Type 07 Oceanic Camouflage used by the marines is likewise scheduled to be replaced by the
Xingkong camouflage pattern.
The marines also make use of GPS and night vision systems to enhance their fighting capabilities.
The PLAN marines are equipped with amphibious light tanks and armored personnel carriers. The Type 63A is the newest light tank in Chinese service. It is based on the hull of the older Type 63 (which in turn is based on the Soviet PT76 amphibious light tank). The Type 63A features a number of improvements, in particular the new welded turret which features much greater armour protection and the 105mm main gun (capable of firing standard NATO projectiles as well as the gun launched anti-tank missile). The marines are believed to have continued operating the Type 63 and the non-amphibious Type 62 light tanks as secondary units. The Type 77 amphibious APC was the standard armoured transport for the marines for many decades. However, new designs have been adapted from the army to complement these aging transports. These include specially modified versions of the Type 89 and Type 63 APCs, with enhanced swimming capabilities. The Type 86 (or WZ501) IFV is also in service with the marines. Based on the Soviet BMP-1, it is armed with a single 73mm main gun and mounts an HJ73 ATGM (with max range of 3000 meters).
For air defense, Chinese marines employ a mix of automatic and manually operated anti-aircraft artillery systems, as well as short range surface-to-air missiles. The marines have been seen operating the new Type 95 self-propelled air defense platform on an amphibious hull similar to the Type 77 APC. This platform is armed with four 25mm cannon with a short ranged SAM combination to achieve effective killing capabilities against low flying targets at short ranges. The Type 89 self-propelled 122mm gun is the first SP artillery system in service with the marines since 1999. This adds additional accurate firepower to the PLAMC.
See also
*
Republic of China Marine Corps
The Republic of China Marine Corps (ROCMC; ), also known colloquially as the Taiwan Marine Corps, is the amphibious arm of the Republic of China Navy (ROCN) responsible for amphibious combat, counter-landing and reinforcement of the areas under th ...
(part of the
Republic of China Navy
The Republic of China Navy (ROCN; ), also called the ROC Navy and colloquially the Taiwan Navy, is the maritime branch of the Republic of China Armed Forces (ROCAF).
The service was formerly commonly just called the Chinese Navy during World Wa ...
)
*
People's Liberation Army Airborne Corps (part of the
People's Liberation Army Air Force
The People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF; ), also known as the Chinese Air Force (中国空军) or the People's Air Force (人民空军), is an aerial service branch of the People's Liberation Army, the regular armed forces of the Peo ...
)
*
References
External links
sinodefense.com
{{Authority control
#5
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 ...
Military units and formations established in the 1950s