Over 20,000 Doctors or Masters in Active ServiceIn the face of a profound revolution of core technologies being brought about on the basis of information technology in world military field, the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) has got trained a large contingent of high-quality and new-style military talents, including a force of 26,000 doctors and masters.In recent years, the PLA has laid stress on bringing in military talents under a special program for building the army in the new century. The proportion of officers with an education background above junior college level, army, divisional and regimental commanders have come to stand at 88, 90, and 75 percent, respectively. About 71.8 percent of the officers have an academic background over junior college. All first-line captains are graduates from professional institutes and colleges; all divisional and army commanders of airmen in the air force are special-grade pilots who can carry out missions under diverse weather situations; nearly all professional technological officers in strategic missile units are bachelors or masters... For scores of years, the PLA has made an incessant redoubled effort in building up its might. PLA officials tend to be younger, well educated and proficient with expertise and have a strong sense committed to the army cause. In 1997, the first group of military doctors of the PLA graduated from the National University of Defense that marked a breakthrough in high-level talents training for the PLA. In the past five years, the PLA has enrolled into service over 20,000 graduate students including about 4,000 doctor degree students. With regard to the undertaking of building military academies, the PLA has set up a group of high-level academies in succession such as the National University of Defense Technology, Army Airman Academy, PLA Information Engineering University and PLA University of Science and Technology. Approved by the Central Military Commission, the PLA developed new channels for overseas military study in 1996. So far, it has sent several hundred of its men to study in 22 countries including Russia, for overseas military study. More than 300 of them have come back to the motherland after graduation. By PD Online Staff Member Du Minghua |
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