Folkets Befrielseshær

Folkets Befrielseshær () er Kinas kommunistiske partis militære del og de facto Kinas militær, bestående af hær, flåde, missilforsvar og luftvåben. Folkets Befrielseshær blev etableret 1. august 1927, hvilket fejres hvert år den 1. august som "Befrielseshærens dag". Dens insignier består af en runddel med en stjerne og de kinesiske skrifttegn for "otte en", som refererer til 1. august, som var datoen for Nanchangoprøret i 1927.

Folkets Befrielseshær er verdens største militærstyrke målt på antal ansatte med omkring 3 millioner. Den har også verdens største stående hær med ca. 2,25 millioner soldater. Folkets Befrielseshær består af fem primære afdelinger:
 Folkets Befrielseshærs landtropper

 Folkets Befrielseshærs flåde

 Folkets Befrielseshærs luftvåben

 Folkets Befrielseshærs artilleristyrker (strategisk missilforsvar)

 Folkets Befrielseshærs reservestyrke.

Militærtjeneste er i teorien obligatorisk for alle mænd når de fylder 18 år, kvinder kan registrere sig til at gøre tjeneste indenfor medicin, sundhed og og andre tekniske tjenester fra en alder på 14 år. Til trods for dette har Kina aldrig benyttet sig af muligheden grundet et stort antal frivillige der melder sig til militærtjeneste. Tjenestegørende soldater der bliver hjemsendt er opskrevet i reserven, som drives som en veteran standbystyrke.

Folkets Befrielseshær er formelt under kommando af Centralmilitærkommissionen. Kinas forsvarsministerium, som er underlagt Folkerepublikken Kinas statsråd har ingen autoritet overfor for Folkets Befrielseshær og er derfor væsentligt mindre magtfuld end Centralmilitærkommissionen (CMC). Forsvarsministeriet har løbende kontrol med Folkets Befrielseshær.

Tidligere CMC formand Hu Jintao har defineret Folkets Befrielseshærs mission som:
 Konsolidere kommunistpartiets herskende status.
 Hjælpe med at sikre Kinas suverænitet, territoriale integritet og indenrigssikkerhed for at kunne fortsætte den nationale udvikling.
 Sikre Kinas voksende nationale interesser.
 Hjælpe med at sikre verdensfreden.

Kilder

Noter

Videre læsning 
 Fisher, Richard (2010). China's Military Modernization: Building for Regional and Global Reach. Stanford Security Studies. 
 James C. Mulvenon, Andrew N. D. Yang. The People's Liberation Army as Organization  Reference Volume v1.0, RAND.
 Chinese Military Power  Council on Foreign Relations Press, May 2003.
 Roy Kamphausen, Andrew Scobell. Right Sizing the People's Liberation Army  Exploring the Contours of China's Military. The Strategic Studies Institute of the US Army War College, September 2007.
 Chinese Intelligence Agencies  Intelligence Resource Program, Federation of American Scientists.

Årsrapporter til den amerikanske kongres 
Mandated by the FY2000 National Defense Authorization Act, this annual report discusses China's military and security strategies, technological advancements in its capabilities, military doctrine, and security issues in the Taiwan Strait.
 The Military Power of the People's Republic of China  Annual Report to Congress 2004, Office of the Secretary of Defense.
 The Military Power of the People's Republic of China  Annual Report to Congress 2005, Office of the Secretary of Defense.
 The Military Power of the People's Republic of China  Annual Report to Congress 2006, Office of the Secretary of Defense.
 The Military Power of the People's Republic of China  Annual Report to Congress 2007, Office of the Secretary of Defense.
 The Military Power of the People's Republic of China  Annual Report to Congress 2009, Office of the Secretary of Defense.

Øvrige 
 Andy Bunk Forgotten  A look at the changing roles of the Chinese militia system in the Communist era from its inception to the present.
 Scott Cooper China's Path to Power  Capability guidance, net assessments and strategic policy development.
 Andrew Scobell and Roy D. Kamphausen, editors Right Sizing the People's Liberation Army: Exploring the Contours of China's Military  (Strategic Studies Institute and The National Bureau of Asian Research, September 2007)
 Roy D. Kamphausen, Andrew Scobell and Travis Tanner, editors, The "People" in the PLA: Recruitment, Training, and Education in China's Military  (Strategic Studies Institute and The National Bureau of Asian Research, September 2008)
 Roy Kamphausen, David Lai, Andrew Scobell, editors Beyond the Strait: PLA Missions other than Taiwan  (Strategic Studies Institute and The National Bureau of Asian Research, April 2009)
 Kamphausen, Lai, and Scobell (ed.s), 'The PLA at Home and Abroad: Assessing the Operational Capabilities of China's Military,' Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College, June 2010
 Matthew Boswell Media Relations in China’s Military: The Case of the Ministry of National Defense Information Office  (Asia Policy, July 2009)

Eksterne henvisninger 

 Ministry of National Defense The People's Republic of China 
 PLA Daily  News sponsored by the PLA.  
 China Defence Today  SinoDefence.com | Leading online source of information and news on China's military power and defence industry, including weapon systems, organisations, doctrines, etc.
 China Defense.com  Articles on the country's modern military history and current armed forces.
 China Military Guide  GlobalSecurity.org Overview of China's military forces, facilities, and equipment.
 Chinese Military Power  Full-text online resources concerning China's military policy, capabilities, and potential.
 PLA IDAG  ("PLA Today") 
 China Military Online  sponsored by PLA Daily of the Chinese People's Liberation Army.
 Military parade for 60th anniversary  Pictures of the Military parade for 60th anniversary revolution.
 Sino Defence Forum  Chinese Military & Defense Forum
 China Defence News  Chinese Defence & Military News
 China Military Pictures  Comprehensive Chinese Military Picture Gallery

Etableret i 1927