ABSTRACT
The extant literature on authoritarian politics suggests that dictators can orient the military mainly toward external threats or to ensure that the military does not usurp the power of the incumbent. This chapter examines the change in the composition of the top leadership in the PLA from 2016 to 2022 to assess whether reshuffling at the top level was geared more toward improving military preparedness or toward reducing threats to Xi’s leadership. By and large, changes in the top PLA leadership since 2016, defined as officers who served at the full military region (dajunquji) commanding CMC departments, branches, or theater commands, do not suggest that coup-proofing has been the main concern of the party leadership. Instead, there is some evidence that improving military preparedness has been a major objective of the leadership turnovers in the PLA, as suggested by the extent literature on the reform.
