President is prime mover behind historic revamp of nation's military

The People's Liberation Army has been undergoing a historic reform guided by President Xi Jinping since late 2012, when Xi became top leader of the Communist Party of China and the Chinese military.

The reform has resulted in the biggest overhaul of the PLA in decades. The senior governing bodies of the world's largest military have been reshuffled - up to the Central Military Commission - to optimize the command chain. The regional command systems have been reorganized to boost joint combat ability. Group armies and institutions have been merged to improve efficiency, and new high-technology units set up to prepare for nontraditional fields such as cyberspace.

Changes continue in the life of almost every PLA member. Many officers, including hundreds of generals, have been moved to new positions while some returned to civilian life. Soldiers are now spending more time in combat training and live-fire exercises, and corrupt commanders have been expelled and punished.