PRC has publicly identified cyberspace as a critical domain for national security and declared its intent to expedite the development of its cyber forces.
SPECIAL TOPIC: PLA RECRUITMENT AND PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT SITUATION
PLA RECRUITMENT
Traditional PRC military recruitment is dependent on two-year enlisted conscripts, requiring about 400,000 young citizens must voluntarily join the PLA or be compulsorily inducted annually. The ratio of volunteer versus non-volunteer conscripts is unknown, and likely varies by year and place depending on local conditions and individual motivations. As of 2020, PLA officers and civilian personnel probably numbered approximately 450,000 personnel (23 percent), NCOs roughly 850,000 (42 percent), and conscripted recruits about 700,000 (35 percent).
Two-year conscripts are assessed to comprise about one-third of all active-duty personnel. Continuing practices implemented since at least 2016, the updated national conscription law focuses on encouraging college students, both recent graduates and current senior students, to voluntarily enlist. College students are offered incentives to serve, and those who have not yet graduated may return to school to finish their education after their time in service. Prior to this push for college-educated personnel, as recently as 2011, most of the new PLA recruits were high school graduates. In 2021, the PRC adopted a revised version of the Military Service Law to improve the system of military service registration and highlight the predominant role of volunteers in the military service system.
The PLA also recruits civilian personnel to acquire specific skillsets. Civilian personnel are those who work in management or professional technical military posts but are not in active service unless deemed necessary. In 2018, the PLA launched its first written examination for recruiting civilian personnel; among the more than 140,000 participants, 86 percent held a bachelor’s degree or above, and 16 percent graduated with a master’s degree or above.
In 2022, the PLA extended the recruitment age for university graduates. Compared to the usual age requirements—between 18 and 22—for new recruits, male applicants who were in their final year of university or held a bachelor’s or associate degree, could enlist at age 24, and all applicants who were postgraduate students or held a master’s degree could list up to age 26. The Ministry of National Defense’s Recruitment Office instructed recruitment officers to focus on recent university and college graduates, with preference given to degree holders in the fields of science, technology, or engineering. Xi has continually urged the military to improve its human resources efforts to recruit and train more talented professionals to help achieve its key goals.
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OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE
Annual Report to Congress: Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China
