Theater command

Overview

In 2016, the seven military regions of China were reorganized into the present five theater commands and the term "military region" became obsolete. Chinese theater commands (TC) have been likened to the geographic combatant commands of the United States military; however, China's theater commands do not extend beyond the nation's borders. When listed by the government of the People's Republic of China, the theater commands are, by protocol, presented in order of precedence, as show below.

1. Eastern Theater Command, headquartered in Nanjing, is responsible for central eastern China and the East China Sea, and the Strait of Taiwan. The Eastern TC is responsible for matters related to Taiwan and likely Japan.
2. Southern Theater Command, headquartered in Guangzhou, is responsible for south-central China, the border with Vietnam, and the South China Sea. It is likely the Southern TC would play a significant role in assisting the Eastern TC with an amphibious operation against Taiwan.
3. Western Theater Command, headquartered in Chengdu, is responsible for the western half of China including the nation's borders with India and with Russia. During peacetime, units under the Western TC largely focus on countering separatist or terrorist threats, including the Xinjiang conflict and disputes in Tibet.
4. Northern Theater Command, headquartered in Shenyang, is responsible for northeastern China, namely the Mongolian, Russian, and Korean borders. Much of the Northern TC's focus is on managing China's shared border with North Korea. The Northern TC is responsible for matters related to Russia, Korea and Japan (shared with the Eastern TC).
5. Central Theater Command, headquartered in Beijing, is responsible for north-central China and the capital region. The Central TC serves as the national strategic military reserve and its primary mission is the defense of Beijing.

Each theater command is led by both a military commander who is responsible for operations and an equally-ranked political commissar who is responsible for ideological functions of the command in keeping with the values of the CCP. The staff of a theater command's headquarters participates in committee-based decision-making instead of a hierarchical command structure used by most other militaries. Under each theater command are the single-service headquarters for the Ground Force (PLAGF), Air Force (PLAAF), and Navy (PLAN) which adhere to a dual command structure wherein each subordinate service headquarters under a theater command reports to both the theater command it is assigned to and the service's national headquarters. In wartime it is believed these services will fall under the complete operational control of their theater command. Neither the Central nor the Western Theater Command have an assigned PLAN service headquarters due to their smaller coastal profiles.

Alongside each service headquarters, a theater command has organically assigned an electronic countermeasures brigade, an information operations support brigade, a reconnaissance and intelligence support brigade, and a Joint Logistics Service Center (JLSC) from the PLA's Joint Logistic Support Force (JSLF). Theater commands also own and operate most of the PLA's deep reconnaissance capabilities (forces intended to operate beyond a unit's firing range). Although control over intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and long-range ballistic missiles of the PLA Rocket Force (PLARF) remains with the Chinese National Command Authority (NCA), theater commands maintain a contingent of PLARF personnel who aid in integrating long-range ballistic missiles into theater command planning. Short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) brigades may also be attached to theater commands.