Chengdu Military Region
Chengdu Military Region | |||||||
Chengdu Military Region (highlighted) | |||||||
Simplified Chinese | 成都军区 | ||||||
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Traditional Chinese | 成都軍區 | ||||||
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The Chengdu Military Region is one of seven military districts and is located in the southwest of the People's Republic of China, covering Chongqing, Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, and the Xizang/Tibet Autonomous Region. It includes some of the area previously within the Kunming Military Region and has its headquarters in Chengdu. It was probably established in 1955.
Organisation
Sino-defence.com stated in 2009 that the region consisted of the:
- 13th Group Army (zh:中国人民解放军第13集团军) with the 37th Infantry Division, the 149th Division at Emei, Sichuan (near Mount Emei), an Armoured Brigade, an Artillery Brigade, an Air Defence Brigade, the 2nd Helicopter Regiment, a Special Operations Group, an Engineer Regiment, a Signal Regiment, and an Electronic Warfare Regiment. The 149th Division joined the reorganising 13th Group Army on the disbandment of the 50th Army in 1985.
- 14th Group Army (zh:中国人民解放军第14集团军) with the 31st Infantry Division, the 40th Infantry Division, an Armoured Brigade, an Artillery Brigade, an Air Defence Brigade, a Signal Regiment, an Engineer Regiment, a Chemical Defence Regiment, and a Pontoon Bridge Regiment.
- Tibet Military District with the 52nd Infantry Brigade, 53rd Infantry Brigade (which other sources report as Mountain Brigades), the 54th Infantry Regiment, a Signals Regiment, and three military sub-districts, the Shannan Military Sub-District, the Xigaze Military Sub-District, and the Nyingchi Military Sub District
Also reported are two Mobile Armed Police Divisions (38th and 41st), and the 2nd Army Aviation Regiment at Chengdu.
The International Institute for Strategic Studies attributes the region with some 180,000 personnel, with four motorised infantry divisions, one artillery division, two armoured brigades, one artillery brigade, and two anti-aircraft brigades.
The military districts that fall within the Chengdu Military Region are:
- Sichuan Provincial Military District
- Tibet Military District
- Guizhou Provincial Military District
Current officers
- General Li Zuocheng (Commander), since July 2013[1]
- Lieutenant General Zhu Fuxi (Political Commissar), since October 2012
- Rong Guiqing (戎贵卿, Chief of Staff)
Nickname
Organizations affiliated with the Chengdu Military Region often use the nickname "banner" (Chinese: 战旗; pinyin: zhànqí; literally: "battle flag"), including the Banner Performance Troupe (Chinese: 战旗文工团) and the Banner Newspaper (Chinese: 战旗报).
References
Sources and External Links
- International Institute for Strategic Studies, The Military Balance 2006
- Chapter 8, PLA Ground Forces, by Dennis J Blasko, in The People's Liberation Army as Organisation, RAND, CF182
- www.sinodefence.com