ABSTRACT
China’s leaders have long wanted a People’s Liberation Army (PLA) that is both “red” and “expert.” In past years the emphasis has increasingly been on developing expertise in the PLA. While the recently published Proposals on Improving the Quality of Staff Officers of the PLA lists loyalty to the party, ideological purity, and sound morals as key qualifications for staff officers, the bulk of the proposals are concerned with expertise. This includes professional and technical knowledge, research and investigative skills, planning capabilities, and good command and operation skills.1 A well-educated officer corps is essential for the PLA’s modernization drive. Military modernization is much more than the acquisition of new weapons systems, new doctrine, and organizational reforms. It requires highly capable officers with the intellectual tools and technical background to take full advantage of recent improvements in the PLA, and who can constantly upgrade their knowledge and expertise as the PLA continues to develop into a modern, twenty-first-century military force. Moreover, the PLA needs officers that can understand the complex social, political, economic, and technological forces that are reshaping the environment in which it must operate.
