Saturday, November 28, 2015

Book Review: The People's Liberation Army as Organization

James C. Mulvenon and Andrew N.D. Yang, Editors
The People's Liberation Army as Organization
Santa Monica, CA: Rand Corporation, 2002
Category: People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF)

Rating: 4-Stars


Although it has become somewhat dated, I would be remiss if I did not mention this particular volume on the history of China's armed forces.  The People's Liberation Army as Organization is a comprehensive collection on the development of the PLA as a fighting force: it's organization, history, and corporate culture.  Although this volume has been overtaken by events in the past decade, it nonetheless provides a touchstone for understanding how the PLA is structured, and how its modern military school of thought came into being.

Divided into sections that deal with individual chapters in China's modern military history, as well as sections that focus on individual branches of China's armed forces, The People's Liberation Army as Organization combines essays from an array of specialists on Chinese military developments to deliver a broad picture of where the PLA has been, and what direction it is heading towards.  At 634 pages in length, this volume offers the most comprehensive picture currently out there of the bureaucracy, history and corporate culture of the PLA.

No comments:

Post a Comment