By Jia Fei-mao | 2025-06-10

A reform of Chinese military education could streamline a system that Beijing considers outdated and bloated. Or it could introduce unwanted complications for the regime.

China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) in May announced a large-scale restructuring of its educational system, establishing three new academies to strengthen joint operations and train talent for newly created service branches.

The move marks the PLA's most significant academy reorganization since 2017 and aligns with broader military reforms and the goal of achieving full modernization by 2027.

The three new academies are the PLA Ground Force Service Academy in Hefei, the PLA Information Support Force (ISF) Engineering University in Wuhan and the PLA Joint Logistics Support Force Engineering University in Chongqing.

The academies will enroll high school graduates, according to the Ministry of National Defense's announcement in mid-May.

The initiative was taken to adapt "to changes in the structure and layout of military branches" and military talent needs, Senior Col. Jiang Bin, a spokesperson for the ministry, said during a news briefing on May 15.

Integrating academies

The ISF Engineering University combines the College of Information and Communications from the National University of Defense Technology and the Communications Cadet School of the Army Engineering University.

It is tasked with training personnel for the newly established ISF, which created from the dismantling of the Strategic Support Force.

The ISF now coordinates the PLA's communications and network systems and is seen as critical to China's effort to build integrated information networks and win future wars.

The new university is considered a cradle for future PLA cyber and information officers across domains such as military networks, communication engineering, data intelligence and software systems.

Meanwhile, the Joint Logistics Support Force Engineering University was created by merging the Army Logistics Academy, the Military Transportation University and its subordinate Automobile Cadet School. It will train officers in command, logistics management and technical support for the PLA's nationwide support system.

Lastly, the Ground Force Service Academy emerged from the merger of the former Armored Force Academy with the Artillery and Air Defense Academy.

Strengthening joint operational capabilities is central to the PLA's modernization agenda, Lin Ying-yu, assistant professor at the Graduate Institute of International Affairs and Strategic Studies at Tamkang University in Taiwan, emphasized.

Joint operations -- military actions planned and conducted by forces from two or more service branches -- area prerequisite for President Xi Jinping's goal that the PLA acquire "the capability to invade Taiwan by 2027," Lin noted.

"Having armored and artillery cadets study at the same academy will inevitably lead to shared coursework and increased interaction, and these shared learning experiences will help facilitate future joint operations," Lin told Focus.

Factionalism is deeply rooted within the PLA, particularly in the ground force, which still resists cooperating with other service branches, he noted.

Integrating academies, Lin said, could help build a joint operational culture starting from the cadet level.

Questions remain

The restructuring targets institutional inefficiencies and overstaffing.

Many PLA academies previously duplicated functions and employed excessive non-teaching staff, weakening overall readiness, said Lin.

The current streamlining could significantly reduce personnel costs, he said.

Back in 2017, the PLA reduced the number of military academies from 63 to 44, according to the Chinese state-owned Ta Kung Pao. The latest round of restructuring signals the PLA's ongoing effort to optimize its education and manpower systems as part of its long-term modernization strategy.

Although the reform aims to enhance joint combat capability and streamline resource use, its impact remains uncertain under the Chinese Communist Party's strict control.

Limited access to outside information could prevent the development of top-tier cyber forces, Shen Ming-shih, a researcher at Taiwan's Institute for National Defense and Security Research, told Focus.

At the same time, greater openness might lead students to question the regime, thus posing a dilemma for authorities, he said.