Chinese PLA targets on defense might in multidimensional bat

BEIJING, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- The major part of China's armed forces, Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), has targeted on building up a defense¹ might capable to handle threats in multidimensional battlefields.

Celebrating the PLA's 82th founding anniversary which falls on August 1, military experts told Xinhua that an ongoing² significant reform inside the 2.3-million strong might will take much more attentions to modernization³ of the navy and air force.

Among the three PLA's senior officers who were promoted to full generals on July 20, Deputy Chief of General Staff Ma Xiaotian was awarded three-star insignias on shoulder of his original Air Force blue uniform.

The PLA's officers from different services used to change to the Army's green uniforms if they are promoted to positions in the PLA's four headquarters, a symbol of the Army's dominance in the PLA's construction and development.

For example, General Liu Huaqing abandoned his white uniform as the Navy's commander after being promoted to Vice⁴ Chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) in 1987.

General Ma is just a new symbol that the PLA's officers from navy and air force keep their original uniforms as the effort to pay more attentions to the voices from other services.

In the current China's top military authority, commanders of the PLA's Navy, Air Force and the Second Artillery⁵ Corps⁶ for the first time become members of the CMC.

"Keeping original uniforms is just a superficial phenomenon," said Prof. Gong Fangbin with the PLA's National Defense University. "Becoming members of the decision-making CMC will greatly increase engagement in the PLA's major deployments by the Navy, Air Force and the Second Artillery which are all forces involving combined operations with high-tech⁸ equipment."

"The move also follows an increasing trend of the global military development," Gong said.

As a spectator on the vistor's stand beside the Tiananmen gate tower for the National Day parade in 1984, Gong said the PLA adopted an Army-dominating concept after the foundation of the People's Republic of China because at that time the major security threat the country faced was inland attack.

"When we saw the ballistic missile launcher vehicles for the first time in the parade, we were surprised and even shocked for seldom knew what kind of weapon system it was," Gong said.

"I'm looking forward to witnessing new cutting-edge equipment in the upcoming National Day parade, the PLA should acquire more advanced weapon systems to protect China's growing overseas interests."

Gong's outlook has already been carried out in China's unprecedented⁹ naval¹⁰ deployment⁷ to the Gulf¹¹ of Aden and Somali waters to escort merchant vessels¹² against piracy¹³ since the end of last year.

With the rapid equipment upgrading steps, the PLA has also started to improve its personnel structure by encouraging more college graduates to join the military forces.

According to a recruitment plan of the PLA this summer, about 120,000 college graduates who finished four-year studies will be enlisted¹⁴ to fulfill¹⁵ their two-year military services at the end of the year.

"The move will significantly change the structure of the PLA's enlisted personnel which used to be consisted of poorly educated farmers at the early days of the country's foundation," Gong said.

"What more important is it will greatly enhance the common citizens' awareness¹⁶ of the responsibility to serve the country as the college education is no longer enjoyed by the few in China," he said.

"The college graduates with the experience of two-year military service also improves the military reserves for the country," Gong added.

The PLA was founded by the Communist Party of China (CPC) in 1927 when China was actually scrambled¹⁷ in tangled¹⁸ fights by warlords which taught the CPC leaders that the supreme¹⁹ command of military forces should not be controlled by officers.

After more than 80 years of development, the PLA has maintained its most fundamental character as a military force under absolute control of the Party.

The most famous example of the CPC's control over the PLA is perhaps Chairman Mao Zedong who once said that "our principle is the Party commands the gun, and the gun must never be allowed to command the Party".

"Although the Party's absolute control over military forces is not just the same as civilian²⁰ control of the military theory, both the concepts have the same intention to ensure that a nation's military forces should serve the general public rather than some military clique," Gong said.

1 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

2 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

3 modernization   

n.现代化，现代化的事物

参考例句：

• This will help us achieve modernization.这有助于我们实现现代化。
• The Chinese people are sure to realize the modernization of their country.中国人民必将实现国家现代化。

4 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

5 artillery   

n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队)

参考例句：

• This is a heavy artillery piece.这是一门重炮。
• The artillery has more firepower than the infantry.炮兵火力比步兵大。

6 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

7 deployment   

n. 部署,展开

参考例句：

• He has inquired out the deployment of the enemy troops. 他已查出敌军的兵力部署情况。
• Quality function deployment (QFD) is a widely used customer-driven quality, design and manufacturing management tool. 质量功能展开(quality function deployment,QFD)是一个广泛应用的顾客需求驱动的设计、制造和质量管理工具。

8 high-tech   

adj.高科技的

参考例句：

• The economy is in the upswing which makes high-tech services in more demand too.经济在蓬勃发展，这就使对高科技服务的需求量也在加大。
• The quest of a cure for disease with high-tech has never ceased. 人们希望运用高科技治疗疾病的追求从未停止过。

9 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

10 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

11 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

12 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

13 piracy   

n.海盗行为，剽窃，著作权侵害

参考例句：

• The government has already adopted effective measures against piracy.政府已采取有效措施惩治盗版行为。
• They made the place a notorious centre of piracy.他们把这地方变成了臭名昭著的海盗中心。

14 enlisted   

adj.应募入伍的v.（使）入伍， （使）参军( enlist的过去式和过去分词 )；获得（帮助或支持）

参考例句：

• enlisted men and women 男兵和女兵
• He enlisted with the air force to fight against the enemy. 他应募加入空军对敌作战。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

15 fulfill   

vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意

参考例句：

• If you make a promise you should fulfill it.如果你许诺了，你就要履行你的诺言。
• This company should be able to fulfill our requirements.这家公司应该能够满足我们的要求。

16 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

17 scrambled   

v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞

参考例句：

• Each scrambled for the football at the football ground. 足球场上你争我夺。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• He scrambled awkwardly to his feet. 他笨拙地爬起身来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 tangled   

adj. 纠缠的，紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• Your hair's so tangled that I can't comb it. 你的头发太乱了，我梳不动。
• A movement caught his eye in the tangled undergrowth. 乱灌木丛里的晃动引起了他的注意。

19 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

20 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。