In order to further achieve "refined troops, synthesis, and efficiency" and follow the road of elite troops and strong military with Chinese characteristics, on September 12, 1997, Jiang Zemin, then chairman of the Military Commission, announced in the report of the 15th National Congress of the Communist Party of China: On top of reducing military personnel by 1 million in the 1980s, my country will reduce military personnel by another 500,000 within three years. In April and May 1998, the streamlining and reorganization work of the group army agencies and affiliated units was officially launched. In June and July, military agencies held a mobilization meeting for streamlining and reorganization in the auditorium. From the education outline issued by the Central Military Commission headquarters and the mobilization speech of the group army chief, I learned that this reorganization will eliminate and merge some departments above the military level in order to address issues such as the large number of leading institutions and agencies and the unreasonable setup of some agencies. , reduce the number and personnel of internal agencies. Photography by Bi Huaming 
In terms of the organization structure of the troops, the army will be further compressed and the infantry will be reduced. The corps, divisions and regiments of some group armies were abolished, some group armies were changed to the "corps-brigade-battalion" system, and a number of infantry divisions were reorganized into the Chinese People's Armed Police Force and reserve forces; the army's organization structure was further optimized . The navy, air force and the Second Artillery Force have eliminated outdated equipment, adjusted their organization, and withdrew some organic units. After the adjustment of
, the Army field force will take substantial steps towards strengthening synthesis, miniaturization, lightness, and diversification. The proportion of units with higher technical content in the service and arms will increase, and the structure will become more reasonable.
Soon, the group army's adjustment and streamlining entered a substantial stage. After months of speculation and discussion, everyone's emotions were ups and downs, and everyone was uneasy. Now the boots have finally fallen: the Army's 67th Group Army has been withdrawn, and the army's 1199th Division, , 200th Division, 8th Tank Division, anti-aircraft artillery brigade, and chemical defense regiment have been transferred. Affiliated to the 26th Group Army.
During that time, the army organization was like a high-speed machine, the workload increased significantly and the pace accelerated greatly. There were more than a dozen items recorded in my interview notes that year: more than 10,000 soldiers were discharged early, thousands of cadres were transferred to other jobs and exchanged, some divisions and regiments were adjusted in deployment, transferred to subordinates, and reorganized...
Bi Huaming Photography
Enhanced adjustments Education during the period, ideological guidance of officers and soldiers, strict management of the troops in special periods, maintaining a high degree of stability of the troops, etc. were the focus of my news reports during that period.
For the leaders of the group army, a large number of cancellation, transfer, and aftermath work are required, especially the reception and transfer of army personnel, weapon preparation, various materials, finance, documents and archives, barracks, camps, property, businesses, family factories, etc. Work is the top priority of the reorganization work, and it is also the touchstone to test whether the comprehensive construction is excellent.
Commander Zhong and Political Commissar Zhao, who returned to the group army organization after holding a streamlined adjustment meeting in the military region, had sleepless nights during those days and worked overtime to plan, make plans and make decisions without sleep or food. I saw with my own eyes during an interview in the political commissar Zhao’s office that he dug out the work diary of his former political commissar of the Changshan Garrison Division who organized the streamlining and reorganization of the troops more than ten years ago. During the conversation, Political Commissar Zhao told me that it was the first time for everyone to organize the streamlining and reorganization work at the group army level. We could only learn and do it in practice based on reality.
On the basis of drawing on historical experience, political commissar Zhao conducted tracking thinking and advanced predictions based on new characteristics and new situations, and had a basic idea on how to carry out new adjustment and reform tasks.The two army chiefs quickly formed a work plan -
First, the group army, division, brigade, and regiment levels will organize different handover groups according to the categories of reception or transfer, each with their own responsibilities;
Second, they will handle various materials Equipment should be cleaned, inventoried, and registered to ensure that the accounts are consistent, and valuables such as televisions, computers, and photography equipment should be stored in a centralized manner and kept by designated personnel;
The third is to wipe and maintain weapons and equipment and vehicles to keep them in good condition, and to Light weapons, ammunition, dangerous goods, etc. are inspected and stored in a safe warehouse;
The fourth is to check the accounts and cash, and it is strictly forbidden to spend money unexpectedly to prevent individuals from taking the opportunity to embezzle;
The fifth is to inventory and inspect all the defense projects in the defense area Maintenance, set up stakes according to the drawings, and then seal them;
Sixth, strengthen management education during the adjustment and reform period of the army, strengthen duty, insist on patrolling the camp area day and night, and send sentries to key locations to ensure the safety and stability of the army;
Seven It is the three-level aftermath office established at division, brigade, and regiment levels that is responsible for dealing with various remaining issues after the cancellation.
I wrote a report on the above seven points of the group army's practices. After it was published in the "People's Liberation Army Daily" and " Avant-garde ", it played a very good demonstration and guidance role in the streamlining and reorganization work at the military region and the entire army.
Through sufficient and meticulous preparations in the early stage, all links were closely linked, and the measures were effective and effective. A large number of handovers of personnel, equipment, barracks and other aspects were carried out in an orderly manner from beginning to end. The task of adjusting and reforming the group army troops was completed very successfully.
From August 1998 to April 1999, we successfully completed the transfer and reception of the 3rd division, 1st brigade, 1st regiment, and 4 rest stations; the reconstruction and handover of 2 reserve divisions and 1 reserve regiment; 2 divisions The brigade was reorganized, and the 3rd division, 2 brigades, 17 regiments and 15 battalions were disbanded; 64 organic companies adjusted their affiliations; the basic deployment of 1 military headquarters, 2 division headquarters, 8 regiments and 2 brigades was adjusted. Adjustments were made to hand over and receive more than 60,000 pieces of various types of weapons and equipment, more than 3 million rounds of ammunition, and more than 40 tons of ground explosive equipment.
Photography by Bi Huaming
In the process of personnel allocation and external transfer, the majority of officers and soldiers adhered to party spirit, understood the general situation, considered the overall situation, emphasized dedication, and observed discipline, and resolutely obeyed the organizational arrangements. More than 2,700 cadres were divided and resettled, and more than 2,200 redundant cadres were transferred to work and demobilized. More than 20,000 soldiers retired from active service. They did not cause trouble to the troops or create any problems. They all reported to their new units on time and left the troops happily and safely. At the critical moment, they demonstrated their lofty ideological awareness and high degree of organizational discipline.
During the process of withdrawing and handing over troops, the group army troops used more than 10,000 vehicles, loaded and transported dozens of railway trains, handed over thousands of tons of materials, and mobilized and transported tens of thousands of officers and soldiers. Due to sufficient preparation and tight organization, all transferred content accounts The procedures were clear and complete, with no missing shot or bullet, no missing point, no soldier injured, no object or weapon damaged, and the "three satisfactions" of the handover party, the receiving party and the superior agency were achieved.
After the adjustment of the new establishment system, the Party Committee of the Group Army promptly made the "Decision on Strengthening Unity." Party committees at all levels and officers and soldiers actively responded to the call of the Group Army, held high the banner of unity, shouted slogans of unity, and used the unity of the team to drive the unity of the troops. Through unity, we quickly achieved co-organization, co-operation, co-operation, and co-production, which was praised by the heads of the military regions and headquarters. The adjusted and streamlined group army has taken a solid step towards the goal of elite, integrated and efficient troops.
Bi Huaming, founder of Toutiao, former editor and reporter of Jinan Military Region Qiantian Guardian, second-class meritorious service member, welcome to follow
