THE “PEOPLE” IN THE PLA: RECRUITMENT, TRAINING, AND EDUCATION IN CHINA’S MILITARY

Twenty-first century China is undergoing major
transformations in virtually every sphere. Decades
of almost double-digit annual economic growth rates
have been accompanied by double-digit annual growth
rates in China’s military budget. There is considerable
concern over the pace and scope of this modernization
of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Such concerns
are underscored by high-profile incidents, such as the
January 2007 anti-satellite missile test. Public attention
has, understandably, focused on the burgeoning
military budget and an impressive modernization of
the PLA’s technological hardware. However, a state’s
military is only as effective as the people who constitute
it—the military’s human capital. This volume examines
the “people” in the PLA.