Venus

Following on the 2006 Carlisle Conference's efforts to examine the "right size" for the PLA in achieving Beijing's legitimate defense requirements, the 2007 conference, again organized by The National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR) and the U.S. Army War College's Strategic Studies Institute (SSI), sought to assess the quality of the PLA's human resources; identify trends in recruitment, training, and education of conscripts and officers; and assess how these trends are likely to influence the overall effectiveness of a future "informationalized" PLA. The chapters contained herein comprise key insights from over 60 leading experts on China's military. The volume's research draws from a rich pool of English and Chinese language sources. But, given the relatively recent start and ongoing nature of the PLA's reforms in professional military education (PME), training standards, and recruitment practices, comprehensive data and firm conclusions are by no means readily forthcoming. Conversely, the obvious importance of human capital to an effective, capable, and modernized PLA makes filling this lacuna all the more significant and this volume all the more timely. The trajectory of the PLA's professionalization holds important implications for policymakers and military leaders in the United States and throughout the world. The chapters in this volume raise two common themes. First, each piece emphasizes the PLA's continued focus on the "two transformations," the concept invoked by then President Jiang Zemin in 1995 that underpins the PLA's efforts to transform itself into a force capable of (1) fighting and winning local wars under "informationalized" conditions, and (2) a force based on quality instead of quantity. The second major theme concerns the PLA's conception of the "new-type" officer for its modernized forces, one who is better educated and more technologically capable than previous generations. The policies of the Chinese government and the PLA have striven to cultivate a new generation of officers capable and competent in executing the PLA's evolving missions. While the modernization of the PLA's technical capabilities has arguably been a linear and predictable process, uncertainty still remains concerning the development of the people within the military. This volume attempts to shed light on this development, from the enlisted soldier to the strategic thinkers of the future.