Chengdu Military Region

Chengdu Military Region
Chengdu Military Area Command

The Chengdu Military Region is comprised of two group armies, the Chongqing Garrison, four military districts, an aviation regiment, a communications regiment, an ECM regiment, an ACW Dadui, a special reconnaissance dadui and a special operations dadui. The Chengdu MR covers the Yunnan and Tibet provinces. The Chengdu Military Region is an inland military force, and as such its military businesses have been less successful. Its forces are deployed along the borders with Vietnam, Burma and the Himalyan nations. Its close proximity to Burma has resulted in the reported involvement of the military in the international heroin trade. A Group Army from the Chengdu MR (it is not clear which of the two) deployed roughly 10,000 soldiers to a mountainous training area that was 3,900 meters above sea-level in early September 2002. The troops and 1,000 vehicles conducted drills and training to insure effective armament support and combat effectiveness. [Liberation Army Daily 8 Sep 2002 (PLA Activities Report Sep 2002)] An unidentified division from the Chengdu MR conducted exercises in mid-October 2002 that emphasized anti-airborne operations. The exercise included live-fire drills and the participation of troops in a mountainous area some 3,000 meters above sea-level. Reportedly, the unit has conducted mountain warfare for roughly ten years. The division's air defense units concentrated fire on "enemy" aircraft using artillery and surface-to-air missiles as well as intercepting "enemy" soldiers who had parachuted from those aircraft. [Liberation Army Daily 31 Oct 2002 (PLA Activities Report Oct 2002)] An unidentified survey and cartography unit assigned to the MR completed the surveying and mapping of the Grand Canyon of the Yarlunh Zangbo River in Tibet sometime in the early Autumn of 2002. The unit is believed to be based in or around Nyingchi County. This account is the first to mention an S&C unit in the Chengdu MR. [Liberation Army Daily 2 Oct 2002 (PLA Activities Report Oct 2002)] An unidentified division, commanded by Gao Xiaoyong (who can be found on page 239 of the 2002 Directory of PRC Military Personalities and may be the commander of a division not listed in the order of battle or the regular Chengdu Military Region listing) conducted air defense exercises in October 2002 in a mountainous and wooded area. The exercises involved rapid dispersion, concealment and anti-aircraft drills. The exercises tested motorized infantry division tactics, which may hint at the mission of the unit. [Liberation Army Daily 17 Nov 2002 (PLA Activities Report Nov 2002)] An unidentified Group Army from the Chengdu MR conducte long-distance online command post exercises sometime in the late Fall 2002. The exercises consisted of opposing forces and tested roughly 20 seperate methods of operations. The exercise reportedly lasted for two days. [Liberation Army Daily 5 Dec 2002 (PLA Activities ReportDecember 2002] According to reports Chengdu MR's Combined Armed Tactical Training Base went into full operation in late 2002. Construction of the facility is believed to have begun in early 2000 around the same time that the base's first commander, Zhang Peimin was appointed. The facility is reportedly located in a mountainous area, the first of its type for the PLA, and has modern equipment and facilities to conduct combined arms training. The facility also has training fields to accomodate artillery, armor and air defense units. The facility was constructed with the collaboration of the Nanjing Army Command Academy and the Logistics Command Academy. [Liberation Army Daily 4 Nov 2002 (PLA Activities Report January 2003] The facility includes some 100 KM of roads and over 100 KM of fiber optical cables. Shortly after the facility was completed the facility conducted a division scale exercise involving some ten thousand soldiers and roughly a thousand vehicles. [Liberation Army Daily 4 Nov 2002 (PLA Activities Report Nov 2002)

Order of Battle - Current Order of Battle - 2002 Units 13 Group Army 14 Group Army Chongqing Garrison Sichuan Military District Xizang Military District Guizhou Military District Yunnan Military District MR Combined Armed Tactical Training Base MR Aviation REGT [Unit 58036] MR Communications REGT [Unit 56105] MR ECM REGT [Unit 78106] MR ACW Tech Dadui [Unit 78668] MR Special Reconnaissance Dadui [Unit 56294] MR Special Operations Dadui U/I Survey and Cartography Dadui 18 Group Army 50 Group Army Strength 180,000 Location Chengdu References Directory of PRC Military PersonalitiesNovember 2002 Directory of PRC Military PersonalitiesSerold Hawaii Inc, June 1998 PLA Activities Report October 2002 [Compiled by Serold Hawaii, Inc.] PLA Activities Report November 2002 [Compiled by Serold Hawaii, Inc.] PLA Activities Report December 2002 [Compiled by Serold Hawaii, Inc.] PLA Activities Report January 2003 [Compiled by Serold Hawaii, Inc.] Dennis J. Blasko. "PLA Ground Forces: Moving Toward a Smaller, More Rapidly Deployable, Modern Combined Arms Force" The People's Liberation Army as Organization: Reference Volume v1.0, James C. Mulvenon and Andrew N. D. Yang eds. (Santa Monico: RAND; 2002) "PLA to Disband Three Major Group Armies in Current Troop Reductions"Wen Wei Po [Hong Kong] 9 Sept. 2003 (FBIS-CHI-2003-0909) "Wu Shuangshan Appointed PRC Armed Police Commander" Ming Pao [Hong Kong] 3 Jan. 2000 (FBIS-CHI-2000-0103)

An unidentified division from the MR conducted a camp and field exercise 17 February 2003. The unit conducted a rapid mobility drill, conducted CBW defense drills among other routine combat exercises. The exercises covered a distance of over 150 KM.