The PLAAF Department System

The department system consists of what the PLAAF calls bumen (ПП), which is the generic term for the four first-level departments—Headquarters (АІФ П), Political (&>пнР), Logistics (^MinP), and Equipment (S^&hP)—and their sub­ordinate second – and third-level departments (П), bureaus (^), divisions (^), offices (ft), and/or branches (K). With only a few exceptions where a battalion has a Headquarters Department, there are no bumen below the regiment level. The PLAAF has three general categories of bumen, which include administra­tive departments (ШкнРП), functional/professional departments (Ф#^П), and operational departments (^ФШП). Unfortunately, no clear definition is available for these three categories of departments, and some of them overlap.

Based on a review of the terms in various dictionaries, encyclopedias, and interviews with PLA personnel, we can conclude the following: Administrative departments conduct work that affects daily life, such as support and supplies, logistics, and housing. Functional/professional departments conduct work that affects operations, such as the operations, intelligence, training, finance, and health departments. Operating departments is a general category for all func – tional/professional departments (other than finance) that have some degree of financial responsibility, but with limited budgetary responsibility. Examples include military schools, hospitals, warehouses, scientific research organiza­tions, military transportation representative organizations, and military repre­sentative organizations stationed at factories.

Overall, the department system has not changed appreciably for almost 60 years, and may be compared to a deck of cards with four suits—Headquar­ters, Political, Logistics, and Equipment—that have occasionally shifted a few cards from one suit to the other. It is important to pay attention, however, when a new card appears or an old card shifts to another suit, because such changes do not occur randomly. Each of these is discussed in sequence.28

Headquarters Department. The Headquarters Department (Й^) is the highest-level functional and administrative organization within PLAAF

Headquarters that is responsible for what the PLAAF calls “military work” (¥♦ HT) or “command work” (^ffl^) on behalfofthe PLAAF’s Party Committee and leadership.29 Its primary responsibilities include managing unit deploy­ments, battlefield development, and combat command. It is also responsible for the PLAAF’s organizational structure, personnel management, enlisted force personnel records, intelligence, communications, radar, air traffic con­trol, and weather support, as well as researching air force military theory, and managing education and safety. Leadership of the PLAAF’s Headquar­ters Department includes the chief of staff (#Шй), who is the department director, and five deputy chiefs of staff (§У#Ш^). Each deputy chief of staff is responsible for guiding and monitoring activities in two or more second – level departments.

The Headquarters Department has at least 15 second-level departments, each of which has subordinate third-level departments. These are the Gen­eral Office (iffS), Directly Subordinate Work Department (ЖІШ), Opera­tions Department (ІТіКШ), Intelligence Department (І’ійШ), Communications Department (®1ШШ), Military Training Department (^іЛІШ), Military Profes­sional Education Department (^^ЩФйШШ),30 Military Affairs Department (Щ. #Ш), Ground-Based Air Defense Troops Department (ЙЩІЙІЙШ), Electronic Countermeasures and Radar Department (^іЙйгайШ), Air Traffic Control Department (КЙЖФІШ), Military Theory Research Department Ш), Pilot Recruitment Bureau (fflff^), Technology Bureau (Йі^), Weather Bureau (i^^), and Flight Safety Bureau (іТйі^). The PLAAF Headquar­ters’ command post (CP) is subordinate to the Headquarters Department, with the Chief of Staff as its director. Personnel from throughout the Headquarters Department (especially from Operations, as well as relevant personnel from the Logistics and Equipment Departments), man the CP on a rotational basis.31

Political Department. The Political Department (І&) is the highest-level leadership, functional, and administrative organization within PLAAF Head­quarters for political work.32 The Political Department is responsible for keep­ing officer personnel records, propaganda, security, education, cultural activi­ties, civil-military relations, Party discipline, and Party organizations within the PLAAF. The leadership of the PLAAF’s Political Department includes the direc­tor (±ff) and three deputy directors (gijiff). Each deputy director is responsible for guiding and monitoring activities in one or more second-level departments.

The seven primary second-level departments, each of which has several subordinate third-level departments, are the following: Headquarters Department (^ФШ), Organization Department (ШШШ), Cadre (Officer Personnel) Depart­ment (іШШ), Propaganda Department (ж^Ш), Security Department (1Ж2.Ш), Discipline and Inspection Department (£Б^Ш), and Liaison Department (К^Ш).

Logistics Department. The Logistics Department (ЙЙ) is the highest – level leadership, functional, and administrative organization within PLAAF Headquarters for logistics work, which includes overseeing transportation, finances, materials and supplies, POL, and medical care.33 The leadership of the PLAAF’s Logistics Department includes the director (*№), political com­missar (&)nSM / &S), three deputy directors (gij*№), one deputy political commissar (giJ&S), a chief of staff (#Шй) (e. g., director of the Headquarters Department), and director of the Political Department (Й/nHift). The 12 sec­ond-level departments, each of which has several third-level departments, are the following: Headquarters Department (^^H), Political Department (&)nH), Finance Department (M#H), Quartermaster, Materials, and POL Department (^ДЙШЙ?4нР), Health Department (ййН), Military Transportation Depart­ment (¥Йш$інР), Airfield and Barracks Department (Ш^нЙИ), Directly Sub­ordinate Supply Department (ЖЩМШИ), Air Force National Defense Engi­neering Development Command Department (Й¥НІЙІШШШн№И), Audit Bureau (Йі+^), Real Estate Management Bureau (ЙШ^ЩШМ), and Air Force Engineering and Design Research Bureau (Й¥ІШійі+ЇЯЙ^).

Equipment Department. When the PLAAF was founded in November 1949, it created an Air Force Engineering Department (Й¥ІШН) to manage aircraft maintenance; however, in September 1969, it was abolished, leaving the PLAAF with only three first-level departments. Because of significant aircraft maintenance problems during the Cultural Revolution, the PLAAF created the Aeronautical Engineering Department (Й^^ЙІШИ) on May 1, 1976 as the fourth first-level department with the responsibility of managing aircraft main­tenance and providing representatives at aviation-related factories. In 1992, the name was changed to the Air Force Equipment Technical Department (Й¥^^ Й^И), but it still had the same responsibilities.34 In 1998, the name was changed to the Equipment Department (S^H / Й^). At that time, the second-level Equipment Department and Scientific Research Department from the Head­quarters Department, along with the second-level Armament Department from the Logistics Department, were merged into the new Equipment Department. According to PLAAF 2010, the Equipment Department is the highest-level lead­ership, functional, and administrative organization within PLAAF Headquarters for equipment work, which includes the birth-to-death life-cycle management, repair, and maintenance of all PLAAF weapons systems and equipment.

The leadership of the PLAAF’s Equipment Department includes the director (n№), political commissar (PC), five deputy directors (gij*№), one deputy PC, and director of the Political Department (l^inHifi).

The eight second-level departments (each of which has several third – level departments) are the following: Comprehensive Planning Department (іт^і+ЙУИ), which also serves the function of a Headquarters Department;

Political Department (ШпнР); Field Maintenance Department (£h±MP); Scientific Research and Procurement Department (HWCTwhP); Air Materiel Department (КМИ); Aviation Engineering Management Department (КЙ ІШвІнР); Armament Common-Use Equipment Department И); and Air Force Armament General-Use Equipment Military Representa­tive Bureau (S¥¥MSfflS^¥WAS^).35