Western Theater Command
西部战区
Founded1 February 2016 (2016-02-01)
Country People's Republic of China
Allegiance Chinese Communist Party
TypeTheater Command
RoleCommand and control
Part of People's Liberation Army
HeadquartersChengdu, Sichuan
WebsiteOfficial website (in English)
Commanders
CommanderGeneral Wang Haijiang
Political CommisarGeneral Li Fengbiao
Chief of StaffGeneral Zhang Jian
Insignia
Sleeve insignia

The Western Theater Command (simplified Chinese: 西部战区; traditional Chinese: 西部戰區; pinyin: Xībù zhànqū) is one of the five theater commands of the People's Liberation Army, founded on 1 February 2016.

Its jurisdiction includes Sichuan, Tibet, Gansu, Ningxia, Qinghai, Xinjiang, Shaanxi, Yunnan, Chongqing.[1] Guizhou is also sometimes listed as part of the command.[1] Its current commander since August 2021 is General Wang Haijiang.[2] Its current political commissar is General Li Fengbiao.

In May 2016, the PRC raised the rank and status of its western Tibet Military Command to widen its scope for missions and combat preparedness, in a move analysts in Beijing said was aimed in part at fortifying the border with India.[3] The Xinjiang Military Command may also be elevated in the future, the report said. Both commands are under the newly created Western Theater Command, the largest of five newly reorganised military regions of the PLA. The Chinese Communist Party-run tabloid Global Times reported the change would allow the command “to shoulder more combat assignments”.[3]

In 2012 the 109th Aviation Regiment was reorganised as a brigade reporting to the PLAAF's Urumqi Base.[4] It now flies the Shenyang J-11 fighter.

Area of Responsibility (AOR)

Western Theater Command's Area of Responsibility (AOR) consists of India, South Asia, Central Asia, Western Mongolia, Pakistan and Afghanistan

Organizational structure

The Western Theater Command consists of the following components:

Official hymn

Released on 4 November 2020, the Western Theater Command released "The Battle Hymn of the Western Theater Command" (Chinese: 西部战区战歌; pinyin: Xībù zhànqū zhàngē) with lyrics written by the then commander of the Western Theater Command, General Zhao Zongqi and music composed by Luan Kai.[5]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Sumit Ganguly; Andrew Scobell; Joseph Chinyong Liow, eds. (2017). The Routledge Handbook of Asian Security Studies. Routledge. ISBN 978-1315455631. Archived from the original on July 30, 2022. Retrieved July 30, 2022.
  2. ↑ "Chinese President Xi appoints new General for PLA's Western Theatre Command amidst Ladakh standoff". economictimes. Archived from the original on January 31, 2022. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  3. 1 2 "Eye on India, China raises Tibet military command rank | Central Tibetan Administration". tibet.net. Archived from the original on November 7, 2016. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
  4. ↑ "Orbats". Archived from the original on June 3, 2022. Retrieved July 30, 2022.
  5. ↑ "[军事报道]西部战区官方公众号上线 首日推出《西部战区战歌》" [[Military Report] "Western Theater War Song" was launched on the first day of the official public account of the Western Theater]. China Central Television (in Chinese). November 4, 2020.

Further reading

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