Weapons Development Department of the Central Military Commission

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The Department of weapons development of the Central Military Commission ( chinese  中央軍事委員會裝備發展部  /  中央军事委员会装备发展部 , Pinyin Zhongyang Junshi Wěiyuánhuì Zhuāngbèi Fāzhǎn Bù ) coordinates since 7 January 2016, the development of weapons systems for all branches of the armed forces of the People's Liberation Army , she tests and, if necessary, initiate their procurement. This department is also responsible for registering patents relevant to defense technology. The office for manned space travel is also located there. General Li Shangfu has been the head of the department since August 2017 .

history

Main witness office of the People's Liberation Army

The forerunner organization of the department for weapons development was the main witness office of the People's Liberation Army (中国人民解放军 总装备部, Pinyin Zhōnggúo Rénmín Jiěfàngjūn Znng Zhuāngbèibù ) established in April 1998 , which was also subordinate to the Central Military Commission , which was then structured differently . The task of that authority was primarily the review and constant monitoring of the spending behavior of the individual units for equipment as well as a careful audit. Corruption was a big problem in the People's Liberation Army at the time. In addition, the main witness office was responsible for the long-term planning of procurement projects, for quality control of military equipment and for dealing with patents important for national defense.

At that time, not only the Lop Nor nuclear weapons test site , the weapons test centers in Baicheng and Huayin and the test center for electronic equipment in Luoyang were under the control of the main witness office, but also the entire space flight, from the cosmodromes to the satellite control center Xi'an to the office for manned space flight and the space flight corps the People's Liberation Army . In addition, the main witness office operated the Academy for NBC Defense (中国人民解放军 防化 研究院) in Changping , Beijing , the Academy for Equipment of the People's Liberation Army in Huairou , also Beijing, and the Academy of Armored Forces (中国人民解放军 装甲兵 学院) in Fengtai , Beijing, and the Military Mechanical Engineering Academy (中国人民解放军 军械 工程 学院) in Wuhan .

In the 18 years of its existence, the main witness office of the People's Liberation Army had the following leaders:

General Cao Gangchuan (曹刚川) * 1935 April 1998 - November 2002
General Li Jinai (李继 耐) * 1942 November 2002 - September 2004
General Chen Bingde (陈炳德) * 1941 September 2004 - September 2007
General Chang Wanquan (常 万全) * 1949 September 2007 - October 2012
General Zhang Youxia (张 又 侠) * 1950 October 2012 - January 2016

Far-reaching reform of national defense and the military

The main witness office of the People's Liberation Army was actually set up in 1998 to deal with the growing corruption under Jiang Zemin . However, since the responsibilities were not clearly defined - nobody knew what to do, who should do it and to what extent it should be done - and there was also a lack of fixed standards for the assessment and testing of weapon systems in many areas arbitrary decisions bought by favors are the order of the day, in all phases of the procurement process, from research and development to testing and acceptance to purchase. Therefore, the main witness office was dissolved in November 2015 as part of the far-reaching reform of national defense and the military , the main objective initially being to break up old structures and networks. Responsibility for Cosmodrome, the satellite control center of Xi'an, the tracking ship based Jiangyin and the Research Institute for Bahnverfolgungs- and communication technology went to the Department of satellite launches, tracking and control of the newly established 1 January 2016 Strategic combat support troops of the People's Republic of China , the Space Operations Beijing went to the aerospace department of the new armed forces.

As a substitute for the core tasks of the main witness office, the weapon development department was set up at the Central Military Commission , charged with the long-term planning of the development and procurement of weapon systems for all branches of the armed forces, the implementation of tests and assessments in the development phase and the purchase of the weapon systems. The manned space flight was initially closed to the new department for weapons development. In a further restructuring in the first half of 2017, the space corps of the People's Liberation Army then moved to the Space Department of the Strategic Combat Support Force. The military academies of the main witness office were distributed among the armed forces.

At a reception for the department heads of the Central Military Commission on January 11, 2016, Xi Jinping conjured up the spirit of the founding years when the old Korean fighters moved to the Gobi Desert in 1958 to build the Jiuquan Cosmodrome . The most important task was the establishment of fixed rules and strict discipline; Even the members of the cadre's family were trained to make them aware of signs of corruption. While the weapons systems were tested in test centers across the country at the main witness office, a central office for testing and assessment (试验 鉴定 局) was created at the headquarters of the ZMK in Beijing, which tests the systems not only during the procurement process and during maneuvers , but should also constantly monitor them in regular service operations, with particular attention to ease of use and signs of wear and tear. If a supplier has problems with quality, confidentiality or business conduct, the cooperation should be terminated early.

organization structure

The Weapons Development Department has had the following organizational structure since 2018:

  • Law firm (办公厅, Pinyin Bàngōngtīng )
  • Political Labor Office (政治 工作 局, Pinyin Zhèngzhì Gōngzuò Jú )
  • Office for overall planning (综合 计划 局, Pinyin Zònghé Jìhuà Jú )
  • Contract Monitoring Office (合同 监管局, Pinyin Hétóng Jiānguǎn Jú )
  • Scientific Research Office and Delivery Orders (科研 订购 局, Pinyin Kēyán Dìnggòu Jú )
  • Office for IT Systems (信息 系统 局, Pinyin Xìnxī Xìtǒng Jú )
  • Office for Testing and Assessment (试验 鉴定 局, Pinyin Shìyàn Jiàndìng Jú )
  • National Defense Intellectual Property Office (国防 知识产权 局, Pinyin Guófáng Zhīshì Chǎnquán Jú )
  • Office for Armaments Cooperation (装备 技术 合作 局, Pinyin Zhuāngbèi Jìshù Hézuò Jú )
  • Office for the Parliamentary Deputies of the Military (军事 代表 局, Pinyin Jūnshì Dàibiǎo Jú )
  • Manned Space Office
  • Chinese astronaut training center
  • Lop Nor Nuclear Weapons Test Site
  • Center for the examination of defense technology patents (国防 专利 审查 中心, Pinyin Guófáng Zhuānlì Shěnchá Zhōngxīn )

Procurement

The Weapons Development Department has a very wide range of military equipment that it deals with. 10 mm beanbag ammunition for the defense of violent demonstrators mobile laser communication systems up to Su-35 -Kampfflugzeugen and S-400 - anti-aircraft missiles . The latter systems were acquired in Russia, whereupon the United States Department of State imposed sanctions on the Weapons Development Department and its head Li Shangfu (then Lieutenant General) in September 2018 on the basis of the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act . Said sanctions prohibit the Department of Arms Development from conducting financial transactions in the US - which it does not anyway - and Americans from entering into business relations with the Department. This means that American scientists are excluded from participating in the modular space station operated by the Weapons Development Department from 2022 .

With the establishment of the Department for Weapons Development as part of the far-reaching reform of the national defense and the military, the procurement process had been changed. Tenders are now open to the public via a website operated by the department, the “Information network for the purchase of weapons and equipment for the entire army” (全军 武器 装备 采购 信息 网); Not only state-owned companies but also private companies can submit offers. On the one hand, this step towards a more market economy and competition is intended to improve quality and lower prices. On the other hand, the aim is to merge the military and civil sectors (军民 融合). As much dual-use technology as possible is to be developed, such as carbon fiber materials , information security in cloud computing , hybrid drives and renewable energies .

In order to facilitate the merger, efforts are being made to unify the standards for software etc. in the military and civil sectors, which is also necessary to facilitate integrated, IT-supported warfare and cooperation between the army, air force and navy. As a first practical step, the National Defense Office for Intellectual Property lifted the secrecy of 2,346 patents relevant to defense technology in March 2017 and published them on the procurement portal of the Weapons Development Department. In April 2018, the office published 4,038 additional patents there, relating to the areas of materials science and technology , measurement technology , radar reconnaissance , satellite navigation and communication technology. Wherever possible, the same equipment is used in the various branches of the armed forces - the army and navy use the same inflatable boats - whereby the troops should be included in the development and procurement process. There are inevitable differences in equipment due to the climatic characteristics between the five new war zones (east, west, north, south, center). Here, the weapons development department is responsible for procuring the necessary material in good time and in stock and for assigning it to the units.

Major projects

J-20 fighter plane

The development of the manned spacecraft of the new generation and the manned missile of the new generation is accompanied by the department for weapons development - on October 9, 2019 the final report of the preliminary planning for the latter project passed the test procedure at the department - but they are not yet an official part of the Manned space program of the People's Republic of China .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ 邹维荣: 铸 盾 砺 剑 不 卸甲 —— 军委 装备 发展 部 谋划 推动 武器 装备 体系 建设 综述. In: cpc.people.com.cn. September 20, 2017, accessed October 17, 2019 (Chinese).
  2. ^ Zhao Lei: PLA says chief of its arms wing replaced. In: chinadaily.com.cn. September 19, 2017, accessed October 16, 2019 .
  3. ↑ 惠 风: 江泽民 连任 中国 中央军委 主席 时 有 98 张 反对票. In: culture.dwnews.com. March 13, 2018, accessed October 16, 2019 (Chinese).
  4. ↑ 邹维荣: 铸 盾 砺 剑 不 卸甲 —— 军委 装备 发展 部 谋划 推动 武器 装备 体系 建设 综述. In: cpc.people.com.cn. September 20, 2017, Retrieved October 18, 2019 (Chinese).
  5. ↑ 王东明: 十个 关键词 带 你 读懂 “八一 勋章”. In: xinhuanet.com. July 28, 2017, Retrieved October 17, 2019 (Chinese).
  6. ↑ XinhuaChinese: 八一 勋章. In: twitter.com. July 28, 2017, Retrieved October 17, 2019 (Chinese).
  7. ↑ 邹维荣: 铸 盾 砺 剑 不 卸甲 —— 军委 装备 发展 部 谋划 推动 武器 装备 体系 建设 综述. In: cpc.people.com.cn. September 20, 2017, Retrieved October 18, 2019 (Chinese).
  8. ↑ 10 毫米 手枪 布袋 弹. In: weain.mil.cn. October 1, 2019, accessed October 17, 2019 (Chinese).
  9. ↑ 激光 通信 系统. In: weain.mil.cn. October 13, 2019, accessed October 17, 2019 (Chinese).
  10. ^ Lesley Wroughton, Patricia Zengerle: US sanctions China for buying Russian fighter jets, missiles. In: reuters.com. September 20, 2018, accessed October 16, 2019 .
  11. ↑ CCTV 军事: 直击 第三届 军民 融合 发展 高技术 装备 成果 展 暨 论坛 创新 与 融合. In: youtube.com. September 30, 2017, Retrieved October 18, 2019 (Chinese).
  12. ↑ 刘 上 靖: 2015 ： 我军 实战 化 演习 风起云涌. In: mod.gov.cn. December 31, 2015, accessed October 18, 2019 (Chinese).
  13. ↑ 李国利 、 王强: 中央军委 装备 发展 部 首次 集中 发布 ４０３８ 项 国防 专利 脱 密 信息. In: xinhuanet.com. April 28, 2018, Retrieved October 18, 2019 (Chinese).
  14. ↑ 橡皮舟. In: weain.mil.cn. August 2, 2017, Retrieved October 17, 2019 (Chinese).
  15. ↑ 通用 装备. In: weain.mil.cn. Retrieved October 17, 2019 (Chinese).
  16. ↑ 邹维荣: 铸 盾 砺 剑 不 卸甲 —— 军委 装备 发展 部 谋划 推动 武器 装备 体系 建设 综述. In: cpc.people.com.cn. September 20, 2017, Retrieved October 18, 2019 (Chinese).
  17. ↑ Dong Zhaohui: Z-20 helicopter confirmed in Chinese military service. In: eng.chinamil.com.cn. October 1, 2019, accessed October 19, 2019 .
  18. ↑ Liu Zhen: China's Z-20 Black Hawk lookalike and flying saucer concept craft star at helicopter expo. In: scmp.com. October 16, 2019, accessed October 19, 2019 .
  19. ↑ Liu Zhen: China's Type 075 helicopter ship nears completion, amateur pictures show. In: scmp.com. August 22, 2019, accessed October 19, 2019 .
  20. ↑ Kristin Huang: China sets date for launch of first Type 075 amphibious helicopter assault ship, sources say. In: scmp.com. September 24, 2019, accessed October 19, 2019 .
  21. ↑ 系统 组成. In: cmse.gov.cn. Retrieved October 19, 2019 (Chinese).