PLA

People's Liberation Army The name of the armed forces of the People's Republic of China. The PLA is composed of three branches: *PLA (People's Liberation Army) The Army is the very basis of the military, composed of "grunts" trained to become infantry for usual land warfare. Like any other nation's military, it has artillery (like tanks and other armor), special forces, engineers, and basic infantry. *PLAN (People's Liberation Army Navy) The PLAN is like any other navy, since it has ship all kinds (like warships, carriers, and submarines). The PLAN also has a Marine Corps, although it's not as advanced, or powerful, as the USMC. *PLAAF (People's Liberation Army Air Force) The PLAAF is like any other nation's airforce in that it has aircraft of all kinds. China has been experimenting with UAV's (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles). The PLA is owned by the PRCCMC (People's Republic of China Central Military Commission), which is run by a chairman, often a general. The PLA also specializes in fields involving C4I (Command, Control, Communications, Computers & Intelligence), outer space and, of course, nuclear arsenal. In China, people are required to join the military upon graduation from school. In otherwords, unlike other sources saying so, the setup is not a draft, but seemingly, conscription.