| Eastern Theater Command | |
|---|---|
| 东部战区 | |
 | |
| Founded | 1 February 2016; 9 years ago (2016-02-01) |
| Country |  People's Republic of China |
| Allegiance |  Chinese Communist Party |
| Type | Theater command |
| Part of |  People's Liberation Army |
| Headquarters | Nanjing,Jiangsu |
| Website | Official website (in English) |
| Commanders | |
| Commander | Lieutenant generalYang Zhibin |
| Political Commissar | AdmiralLiu Qingsong |
| Chief of Staff | Lieutenant GeneralHong Jiangqiang |
| Insignia | |
| Sleeve insignia |  |
TheEastern Theater Command (Chinese:东部战区;pinyin:Dōngbù zhànqū) is one of the fivetheater commands of thePeople's Liberation Army (PLA), founded 1 February 2016. It replaced theNanjing Military Region. The command is headquartered inNanjing.[1]
Its jurisdiction includes the provinces ofAnhui,Fujian,Jiangsu,Jiangxi, andZhejiang, as well asShanghai[1] and theEast China Sea to include theTaiwan Strait.[2][3][4] The Eastern Theater Command is primarily composed three subordinate single-service component commands: the Eastern Theater Ground Force of thePLAGF, theEast Sea Fleet of thePLAN, and theEastern Theater Command Air Force of thePLAAF which conduct combat operations within the command'sarea of responsibility.[5] Also under the Eastern Theater Command is theWuxi Joint Logistics Support Center (JSLC) of theCMC's Joint Logistics Support Force which provides logistic and material support to the command and Base 61 of thePLARF which is responsible for missile employment in the Eastern Theater.[5][6][7]
Its acting commander is Lieutenant GeneralYang Zhibin[8] and its political commissar is AdmiralLiu Qingsong.[9]
Eastern Theater Command'sarea of responsibility (AOR) includesEast China, theEast China Sea, and theTaiwan Strait.[10][3] The command's primary missions are maintaining security in the East China Sea and the conduct of major operations against Taiwan, including thePenghu,Kinmen andMatsu Islands.[10] It is also likely responsible for matters relating to Japan, including theRyukyu Archipelago, theTsushima Strait and the disputedSenkaku Islands.[3][11]
On 1 February 2016, the Eastern Theater Command held its inaugural meeting in the Bayi Building in Beijing. The meeting was held concurrently with all of the other newly created theater commands.General Secretary of the CCP andChairman of the CMCXi Jinping was in attendance, awarding military flags and issuing the official instructions. CMC Vice Chairman and CCP Politburo MemberFan Changlong read out the orders while CMC Vice ChairmanXu Qiliang presided.[citation needed]
In response tothe 2022 visit byUnited States Speaker of the HouseNancy Pelosi to Taiwan, the Eastern Theater Command conducted joint ground, air, and navalmilitary exercises includinglive-fire drills, missile launches overTaipei, andTaiwanese Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) incursions.[12][13][14][15][16]
The Eastern Theater Command, like other Chinese theater commands, consists of a joint headquarters, a joint logistics support center (JSLC) from the PLA Joint Logistics Support Force, a PLA Ground Force (PLAGF) service component, a PLA Air Force (PLAAF) service component, a PLA Navy (PLAN) service component, and a PLA Rocket Force (PLARF) service component. Within Eastern Theater Command these units these are the Nanjing headquarters, Wuxi Joint Logistics Support Facility, Eastern Theater Command Ground Forces, Eastern Theater Command Air Force, Eastern Fleet, and Base 61.[10][11]
Located inNanjing, capital ofJiangsu Province, the Eastern Theater Command headquarters includes both the General Staff Department, responsible for staff support to command leadership, and the Political Works Department, providing theChinese Communist Party (CCP) oversight and influence within the command. The command's General Staff Department (Chinese:参谋部;pinyin:Cānmóu Bù) consists of at least eight sections: combat bureau, intelligence bureau, information assurance agency, military demand bureau, joint training board, mobilization bureau, work department bureau, work direction bureau, and war service bureau.[citation needed] The command's Political Works Department (Chinese:政治工作部;pinyin:Zhèngzhì Gōngzuò Bù) consists of at least six bureaus: general, organization, cadre, military and civilian, publicity, and group workers liaison bureau.[citation needed]
The PLA Ground Force (PLAGF) component of Eastern Theater Command is composed of three major units: The 71st, 72nd, and 73rd Group Army. Since 2017 reforms, the PLAGF group army represents a more evolved, flexible, and capable operational organization that provides Chinese military decision makers with the ability totask-organize forces to accomplish specific missions.[3] Each group army doctrinally commands twelvebrigades: sixcombined-arms brigades (CA-BDEs) and six support brigades includingaviation,artillery,air defense,CBRN,special operations forces (SOF), and others.[3] Its commander isKong Jun (Chinese:孔军) who formerly served as the first commander of thePLA Marine Corps.[17]
The71st Group Army (Chinese:第七十一集团军) traces its history back to the 12th Corps, a February 1949 consolidation of the 34th, 35th, and 36th Divisions.[21] In December 1950, the 12th Corps incorporated the 31st Division of the 11th Corps and entered the Korean War, fighting in theShangganling Campaign against two United Nations divisions.[22] In May 1989, theCentral Military Commission mobilized at least 14 of the PLA's 24 group armies toenforce martial law against student-led protests inTiananmen Square from five of the seven military regions, a larger force than had been mobilized for China's border wars with Vietnam, India, or the Soviet Union.[23][24] The Nanjing Military Region, predecessor to the Eastern Theater Command, airlifted the 34th, 36th, and 110th Infantry Divisions, an artillery brigade, and an anti-aircraft battalion from the 12th Corps followingXu Qinxian's refusal to mobilize the 38th Army in Beijing.[25] In 2017 the 12th Corps was disbanded and replaced by the 71st Group Army as China replaced their seven military regions with five theater commands.[citation needed]
Headquartered inXuzhou,Jiangsu, the composition of the71st Group Army matches the Chinesedoctrinal group army structure commanding six combined-arms brigades and seven support brigades.[3] The 71st Group Army is understood to consist of the below units.[citation needed] Note, the PLAGF uniquely identifies support brigades using the same unit number as the parent group army.
The72nd Group Army (Chinese:第七十二集团军), headquartered inHuzhou City,Zhejiang Province, originates from the 1930 activation of the 2nd Red Army inHunan which took part inMao's famousLong March. The 2nd Red Army was reorganized and redesignated as the 1st Corps in February 1947 taking an active role in theChinese Civil War include in the battles for Shanzong, Fumei, and Longdong.[26] In April 1953, 1st Corps was deployed to the Korean War but returned to China after only a few months with the conflict's cessation.[27][28] In 2017, with the transformation of military regions to theater commands, the PLAGF 1st Corps was reorganized and redesignated as the 72nd Ground Army.[citation needed] The 72nd Group Army is understood to consist of the below units.[citation needed]
The73rd Group Army (Chinese:第七十三集团军) is headquartered in Bantou,Jimei District,Xiamen City, ofFujian Province – directly across thestrait from Taiwan.[29] The 73rd Group Army's history begins in 1941 with the Shantung Column of the Shangtung Military Region. Undergoing a number of restructures and redesignations throughout the 1940s, eventually to become the 31st Corps.[30] Unlike the predecessors of the 71st and 72nd Group Armies (12th and 1st Corps) of the Eastern Theater Command, the 73rd Group Army's predecessor (the 31st Corps) was not selected to deploy in the early 1950s Korean War and remained in Fujian Province to defend the Chinese mainland against a potential US-Taiwan invasion.[31] Later in 1958, the 31st Corps took part in the artillery bombardment of theRepublic of China's Kinmen (Quemoy) and Matsu Islands precipitating theSecond Taiwan Strait Crisis.[31] As the 12th Corps and 1st Corps were reorganized and redesignated as the 71st and 72nd Army Groups in China's2015–2017 military reforms, the 31st Corps became the 73rd Army Group.[citation needed] As one of two group armies in the Eastern Theater Command with amphibious combined-arms brigades, the 73rd Group has been prominently featured by Chinese media conducting amphibious landing drills in Fujian Province demonstrating its capability to take part in the use of force against Taiwan.[32][33][34] The 73rd Group Army is understood to consists of the below units.[citation needed]
TheEastern Theater Command Air Force is thePeople's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) component of Eastern Theater Command and is led by commanderWu Junbao (Chinese:吴俊宝) who took office in December 2021[35] andpolitical commissar Lieutenant General Zhong Weiguo (Chinese:钟卫国) who took office in June 2019.[36]
The PLAAF has largely disestablished divisions and converted their subordinate regiments to brigades. With only the 10th Bomber Division remaining as a division, the Eastern Theater Command Air Force is composed of the following units.
TheEast Sea Fleet is a component of the Eastern Theater Command and one of the three Naval Fleets of thePeople's Liberation Army Navy. Its current commander is Vice AdmiralWang Zhongcai (Chinese:王仲才) and Vice AdmiralMei Wen (Chinese:梅文) is its political commissar.[37]
PLA Naval Air Force
ThePeople's Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF) component of Eastern Theater Command is Base 61 in Huangshan, Anhui. Base 61 has been regarded as the PLARF's "premier conventional base opposite Taiwan" where a number of senior PLARF leadership were likely to have been stationed.[7] Base 61 traces its origins back to August 1965 with the establishment of Unit 121 in Guangyang Township,Shitai County which was responsible for the construction of missile silos under the PLA'sSecond Artillery Corps (predecessor to the PLARF) and led by Liao Changmei (Chinese:廖成美).[38][39] PLA Rocket Force 61st Base (Huangshan City, Anhui Province) The unit was converted into the Project 303 headquarters in June 1966 and remained until 25 May 1968 when the Central Military Commission renamed the headquarters to Base 52 of the Second Artillery Corps, the PLARF component of theNanjing Military Region (predecessor to the Eastern Theater Command). PLA Rocket Force 61st Base (Huangshan City, Anhui Province) Base 52 comprised the 807th, 811th, 815th, 817th, 818th, 819th, 820th, and 827th Brigades armed withDF-21,DF-15C, DF-15A,DF-11A,CJ-10A, and DF-21C ballistic missiles. PLA Rocket Force 61st Base (Huangshan City, Anhui Province) In 2016 the newly established PLARF took command of Base 52 which would be redesignated as Base 61 and its subordinate brigades renamed 611 to 618.[40][41][42]
| Brigade | Chinese name | Missile type | City | Province |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base 61 Headquarters | Huangshan | Anhui | ||
| 611 | 六十一基地611旅 | DF-21A | Chizhou | Anhui |
| 612 | 六十一基地612旅 | DF-21 orDF-21A | Jingdezhen | Jiangxi |
| 613 | 六十一基地613旅 | DF-15B | Shangrao | Anhui |
| 614 | 六十一基地614旅 | DF-11A orDF-17 | Yong'an | Fujian |
| 615 | 六十一基地615旅 | DF-11A | Meizhou | Guangdong |
| 616 | 六十一基地616旅 | DF-15 | Ganzhou | Jiangxi |
| 617 | 六十一基地617旅 | DF-16 | Jinhua | Zhejiang |
| 618 | 六十一基地618旅 | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown |
| English name | Chinese name | Took office | Left office | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liu Yuejun | 刘粤军 | February 2016 | December 2019 | |
| He Weidong | 何卫东 | December 2019 | January 2022 | |
| Lin Xiangyang | 林向阳 | January 2022 | October 2025 | |
| Yang Zhibin | 杨志斌 | October 2025 | Incumbent | [8] |
| English name | Chinese name | Took office | Left office | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zheng Weiping | 郑卫平 | February 2016 | September 2017 | |
| He Ping | 何平 | September 2017 | June 2023 | |
| Liu Qingsong | 刘青松 | June 2023 | Incumbent |
 Structure of thePeople's Liberation Army Ground Force | |||||||
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| PLAGF Headquarters directly subordinate units |
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| Eastern Theater Command Ground Force |
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| Southern Theater Command Ground Force |
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| Western Theater Command Ground Force |
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| Northern Theater Command Ground Force |
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| Central Theater Command Ground Force |
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