- Joint Logistics Support Force
- Strategic Support Force
- People’s Armed Police
- Military Factories
- Badges
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1. Joint Logistics Support Force
JLSF is meant to provide all arms of PLA with logistics support of all kinds including but not limited to transport, medical, inventory, storage, construction and procurement. It has five subordinate Joint Logistics Service Centres (JLSC), one for each TC. The control of these JLSCs is with JLSF command during peacetime and respective TCs during war.
Daily logistics support to TCs is provided by Joint Logistics Sub-Departments (JLSD). Logistics support for combat operations is provided by Logistics Support Brigades (JLSB) under control of JSLCs. JLSF also coordinates with civilian and commercial entities for rescue and relief missions. The five JLSCs are located in Xining (West), Zhengzhou (Centre), Shenyang (North), Wuxi (East) and Gullin (South) while the sole JLS Base is in Wuhan.
The role of this organisation assumes importance when Chinese aspirations of fielding a true blue water navy and having strong military presence in far away countries is considered.
Organisation
The current reforms started way back in 2004 by joint operations experimental exercises including joint logistics in Jinan MR. JLSF was established in 2016 as a part of wide scale military reorganisation to provide support to TCs and unify joint logistics forces.
 JLSF troops march in a military parade celebrating the 70th founding anniversary of PRC |  JLSF Badges |
 Food and supplies units |  Medical and field repair units |
 Fuel trucks |  Field kitchen |
Creation of JLSF separates logistics management responsibilities from combat services group. This means that LSD can now focus on management of resources, infrastructure, training and procedural oversight. It is supposed to help with overall standardisation of logistics and support procedures.
General Liao Xilong, former head of head of the General Logistics Department and of the CMC had this to say:
In the future, our army will face joint operations of various services and arms, and joint operations will inevitably require joint support. Therefore, it is imperative to promote the reform of the joint logistics and take the road of the integration of the three services.
| Previous Designation/MUCD | New Designation | Supports |
| Wuhan Read Base/62101 | Wuhan Joint JLSB | Strategic Support to all TCs |
| 13th JLSD/73801 | Wuxi JLSC | Eastern TC |
| 20th JLSD/76140 | Guilin JLSC | Southern TC |
| 25th JLSD/68060 | Xining JLSC | Western TC |
| 2nd JLSD/65133 | Shenyang JLSC | Northern TC |
| 33rd JLSD/74295 | Zhengzhou JLSC | Central TC |
TABLE:Possible associations of older Joint Logistics Sub-departments to new JLSF
Following is a list of organisations which are possibly under JLSCs, but the hierarchy is not clear yet.
- Medical Service Support Department
- Political Work Department
- PLA Hospitals
- Military Facilities and Construction Division
- Procurement Division
- Supplies Division
- Military Representatives Division
- Navigational Affairs MRO
- Transportation MRO
- Railway MRO
- Airport MRO
- Subordinate Work Division
- Fuel, Supply, and Ordnance Depots
- Ship Transport Units
- Waterway Technical Support Unit.
Civilian Military Integration
A fusion or integration of civilian and military resources is meant to support the country’s economic and social development in a joint effort which harnesses resources from both sectors. One such example is Beidou system, originally developed as a military resource, but yielding returns worth USD 63-79 billions by 2020. This is not really a new concept and has been a work in progress since 1990s.
This integration also harnesses rapidly growing Chinese civilian infrastructure like shipping, space, road and railways to support military missions not just within the country, but overseas too. The dealings in overseas part may not always be above the table though. The Chinese Belt and Road Initiative has already started to bear fruit in this regard. By putting the “beneficiary” countries in an impossible debt trap, Chinese have been able to concede hefty concessions from their debtors. One recent example is Hambantota Port in Sri Lanka, which has been transferred to China on a 99 year “lease”.Chinese submarines have already started to dock in Colombo port too. Many other developing countries in Asia and Africa are facing the same situation.
This involvement of civilian resources means that the Chinese military has access to geographical locations, transport, communications and supply lines which don’t need its direct involvement or investment. This becomes a bit more clear when one notices JLSF’s involvement in relief efforts after natural disasters. Troops belonging to 72 Group Army, People’s Armed Police (PAP) from Shaoxing Detachmentand 903 hospital of JLSF were involved in disaster relief after a typhoon. Additionally, Military academies and training institutions have been training civilians to “to improve the basic qualities and capabilities of these civilian personnel and help them adapt to military work.”