Explaining Chinese Army Ranks

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[@williamchiang5773]

Technically the law in China requires all citizens to serve, but in practise PLA only takes in volunteers due to the huge number of applicants. So the volunteer during his/her first two years of service is called a conscript （“义务兵"）, but they are not really conscripted but volunteered.

[@Brecconable]

This is accurate. I remember watching a docu years ago about a young man who joined the PLAGF Artillery Corps, there were hundreds of them signing on.

[@WangGanChang]

Indeed, in PLA speak, a volunteer is someone who serves an additional two years after the initial requirement of 2 years. It is a marker of experience and competency (since you need recommendation from your superiors to even get a second tour) rather than how you get into the military. It's misleading to say that all 2nd tour people gets to be junior NCOs, since many aren't. Just because you're compenent enough to come back and have two years more experience than new conscripts, does not mean you automatically become a leader of some sort. In conscription drives, in almost all cases there are far more volunteers than required positions and the has been lots of cases of bribary in trying to get "conscripted", which got a bunch of recruitment officers punished. Btw the all must serve is the basis for military training in middle school, high school and college.

[@BattleOrder]

@@WangGanChang Do you have a source that explains the linguistic peculiarities of "volunteer" versus "conscript" if it's allegedly completely different from what the west consider a conscript to be?

[@TenOrbital]

As I understand it, conscription is legally in force but since there's enough volunteers for the smaller army there is no need to use it.

[@WangGanChang]

@@BattleOrder since i somewhat have you attention, do a episode on Chinese air assault brigades (outside of the air force), it appears the PLAGF has fully embraced the concept of Air Calvary and it now has primary conversion path for light infantry. (such as 121st and 161st air assault brigades with potentially more to come) It would be also interesting to contrast them again helicopter assault from the 15th corp in the air force.

[@kutter_ttl6786]

The video mentions conscripts but I recall reading that even though on paper the PLA does use conscription, in reality they haven't needed to due to being able to have sufficient numbers of volunteers. The mechanism is there to recruit males aged 18-22 years for a compulsory 24-months of service but the PLA has been made up volunteers since 1949. Considering their population it seems plausible since with a military of 2 million that works out to about 0.14% of the population (contrast that with the US where it's 0.5%).

[@eugeneng7064]

Joining the military is also a prestige thing for the lower class in China, as it is a stable job and allows for climbing the social ladder.

[@williamchiang5773]

The name can be confusing, as the volunteer during his/her first two years of service is still called a "义务兵" (conscript in English), to distinguish them from those that re-enlist after two years of service.

[@kevinzhou9779]

That's because the PRC does have Conscription Laws in place in which all Chinese citizens have the duty to serve mandatory military service. However, because there are so many volunteers that are joining willingly, it's rarely enforced by the government.

[@lolfang5725]

@@eugeneng7064 You may have misunderstandings.In China, the soldiers can get more social welfare than ordinary people, and the psychology of young people from the army is mainly able to get extra points in the postgraduate exam, or enrich their resume.If it is for making money, the salary of the officer is similar to ordinary white collar, although many living costs have been reduced.

[@Amshraw]

That was very interesting when you snapshot the pla soldier and broke down the insignia. A video with just some of that would be great

[@hooderik8699]

PAP officer

[@monkeylee4818]

If you watch Chinese news you would see more of those and they are rather common. The Chinese military isn’t really that secretive like some media likes to portray it, all of those footages are all publicity available and CCTV military channel just post them on their KZbin channel, you just need to understand Chinese to find them.

[@ThePoshPrince]

@@monkeylee4818 "just"

[@primeroyal7434]

@@monkeylee4818 Military plays a key role in development and such in many developing countries like China and India, so it shouldn't be surprising to see heavy military relevance in their media.

[@anotherinsignificanthuman.948]

@@ThePoshPrince lol, "just" understand one of the hardest languages in the world

[@SpaceMonkeyBoi]

**lives in Taiwan** Step 1: wake up Step 2: brush your teeth and get a shower Step 3: get dressed for the day Step 4: go on your way to work Step 5: look up and enjoy the beautiful sky Step 6: there are Chinese jets in the sky 😀 Step 7: there are Chinese jets in the sky 😦

[@nobodyherepal3292]

Huh….a Red Dawn remake set in Taiwan with Taiwanese actors would be pretty cool, not going to lie….

[@Nathan-jh1ho]

@@nobodyherepal3292 they originally made the 2nd Red Dawn with the PLA invading.

[@user-vv7ir1pl4j]

@@Nathan-jh1ho but North Korea was more fun

[@tonykriss1594]

"When you tell your friends you hear helicopter in war thunder but they don't"

[@doleofdolonia8859]

It's just a training exercise over their local airspace.

[@obsidianstatue]

The job over rank system actually doesn't really affect the perks of technical roles, the word is that senior NCOs actually gets the same treatment and perks that comes with the divisional leaders. The job over rank system is a left over from history In ancient China, what could consider to be military ranks were always ceremonial titles, You have ranks like "Grand General of Swift Cavalry" Which would be considered rank one in the civil service ranking, which is the highest official rank Today's equivalent in China would be the rank of General with the Job post of Deputy CMC member, which comes with the civil service rank of 2, equating to "Deputy National Leader" There are other General ranks like General who assist the Nation, General who protect the Nation, Generals who Quells the Army etc. these ranks only comes with salary increase, but not necessarily the actual right to command troops China being the first country to institute as law that the civilians have control over the military during Song dynasty, always meant, that your rank didn't matter that much in Palace intrigues. During Ming dynasty, you even had Jinyiwei, the Secret police answerable directly to the Emperor serving as Army Political Commissars, ensuring the generals don't rebel and the Army's loyalty to the Emperor

[@BattleOrder]

Deriving from that, the current system being the way it is is also probably the result of the Cold War period where the Chinese had no ranks and only job titles to distinguish personnel (with the reinstitution of rank in 1988 basically being a PR and morale move to make the military appear more modern and prestigious).

[@obsidianstatue]

@@BattleOrder Yes, just before the 2016 reform, the official media in China stated that the PLA had a serious problem with "Hilltopism" (literal translation) which basically means factionalism. ie old generals still wielding influence in their old units after they retired This was One of the reason why Every Division of Every Group Army were taken apart and rearranged into Brigades, some brigades didn't stay within the reformed Group Armies or even within the same Theatre Command, and the total Group Armies were cut from 18 to 13. This "Hilltopism" is also one of the reason why a Job title of say Division leader is much more coveted than an equivalent rank, because it means you have real power and influence, and would be a better career option for Officers.

[@BattleOrder]

@@obsidianstatue That is very interesting. The rationale of emulating western practice of decentralized command and combined arms warfare is obvious for moving to the brigade-based structure, but I hadn't heard that it was also to tear apart officer factions

[@TenOrbital]

It's not the same as the modern concept. Many Chinese emperors were military leaders and understood the army as the guarantor of the regime. Founding members of ethnic Han dynasties were nearly all rebel generals. Including Taizu, the founding Song emperor, and his successors Taizong and Zhenzong were competent and active generals. After that, Song emperors were not military men and several had poor health. The dynasty declined and fell to the Jin, whose early emperors were, unsurprisingly, competent generals. Having some emperors who were not generals is not the same as 'civilian rule'.

[@alanch90]

@@BattleOrder its actually a system invented by the bolsheviks when they founded the Red Army: officer ranks were abolished (and only reintroduced by Stalin just prior WW2) and the grade system replaced it in practice. The reason for this was mainly political as officers were really hated in general by the soldiers. To differentiate itself from the Soviet Army, the PLA continued many traditions that the Soviet Army had abandoned such as the grade system or having insignias placed in the neck of the uniform.

[@Norsemano1921]

Although the junior soldiers were "legally considered" as conscripts, none of them is actually conscripted into the military. They volunteered

[@Malinovyyy]

Note that the officer at 8:22 is not a PLAGF officer, but rather a People's Armed Police (PAP) officer.

[@pantherax7116]

Conscription in China is basically the selective service system for you Americans. People register but no one is practically ever called up as volunteers are plentiful.

[@black10872]

When you have a population of over a billion, what's the point of conscription?🤷🏿

[@user-vv7ir1pl4j]

@@black10872 it's like instant reserves if needed ig

[@bilibiliism]

@@black10872 in case ww3 happen. usa only had less than 200k soldier before ww2 but at the end it had over 10 millions. china now dont need conscription because it hadnt fight a war for a long time and most people just see military as a career path, its even considered a safer one comparing to factory worker. but when actual war break out it would be different

[@SpiraSpiraSpira]

This is a good analogy. Technically China has mandatory military service just like South Korea or Israel does but in practice the PLA meets all their recruiting requirements from volunteers. These volunteers are still called “conscripts” for their first 2 year term of service internally, though.

[@black10872]

@@bilibiliism exactly why i said what's the point of it. You got over a billion population. That means millions a year are signing up. How many gets in is up to health, physical, and mental issues.

[@senorsexy667]

I really like this channel, It's super professional in addressing the different topics. Great Job.

[@DY-fy2jh]

This channel deserves much more views. I'm recommending it to all of my friends.

[@sagethompson9521]

Love your content, would be amazing to see German army ranks post reunification to now. Keep it up 👍👍

[@seahbryan6687]

Very interesting video! Would love to see you do a video on the rank structures in the Singapore military :D

[@riopramuditya6710]

I really appreciate this type of video man, because for me I rarely seen an Asia’s military rank organizations video, from a western rank organization perspective such as this. For the next one I would like to suggest for you to create a video about the Indonesian national military rank structure and organization. Because unlike most other military, the Indonesian national military allows volunteer to enlist directly as a Non-Commission officer (Bintara as it called in Indonesian), rather that advancing through the enlisted ranks (Tamtana as it called in Indonesia), which I find fascinating. And furthermore, the enlisted rank structure in itself is quite difficult to move up to, especially if a soldier is aiming to be an officer, they have to advance to the enlisted rank structure first and also the NCO’s rank structure , which in itself has a higher degree of competition due to many new civilian volunteers that enter directly into the NCO’s rank structure. Hope you look up about this 🙏

[@lzh4950]

Meanwhile neighbouring Singapore has 3 different rank insignia systems; 1 for volunteers (SV (Singapore Volunteer) 1-4), 1 for personnel with more specialised skills e.g. warship chef, aircraft engineers/technicians (ME (Military Expert) 1 to 8; the Military Domain Expert System (MDES), with 2-3 pay grades per rank) & another for everyone else. The army was originally organised by vocation i.e. 1 regiment for infantry, another for armour etc. but geography now takes prcedence I think i.e. the regiments' constituent battalions etc. might be split across different divisions (1 for the country's west, another for the central/north/south areas & a 3rd division for the east). Meanwhile the air force has gone the other way round, originally organised by geography (i.e. by our various air bases) but now by command (which are organized by profession) instead (1 for UAVs, 1 for helicopters etc.)

[@SromolKhmer]

Great content.

[@michaelallison1255]

Great video, very informative to military nerds like me.!!

[@archiegeorge3969]

Another great video!

[@BattleOrder]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@yandelsantiago8889]

I like the blood type name and QR code makes things easier to find out what type of blood they need and there ID

[@gnaskar]

Hang on. I'm too old for military service, I don't serve any intelligence or foreign relations role, and I live half way across the world from China in one of the the most peaceful and secure regions of the planet. So why am I carefully memorizing how to recognize Chinese ranks in the field?

[@arc_4543]

In the off chance they parachute into your backyard one day you can prioritize targets 🤷‍♂️

[@mg1342mg]

Why did you click on the video?

[@quisqueyanguy120]

Because if you live long enough you will see them more often in places like Africa in the 21st century

[@askvideos1]

@@Feroce pretty sure this was a rhetorical question

[@MaxwellAerialPhotography]

Because it’s so much fun Jan.

[@SamBao]

5:36 the enlisted soldier has "Battalion sergeant major" written on his chest board which is weird: enlisted PLA members don't wear chest boards, they are reserved for officers on dress uniforms chest boards are for names only, like on commonwealth troops chest boards are not supposed to be worn with working uniforms

[@Raphaelmasbro]

Would love more squad organization video ( not too depth but many video - like the web )

[@arnoldussineamico498]

2:24 it really gives me a chuckle

[@JJMain]

Corporal's and E4 mafia all across the western world fighting to introduce Corporal and Specialist ranks into the Chinese armed forces. On a serious note, the ranking of China is surprisingly different. This video was very insightful.

[@davidchew6449]

This is based on my limited understanding on People's Liberation Army (PLA) and I used Army Infantry as reference for NCO. 1) Current rank system exists many years back and nothing new. 2) If you attended Civilian Universities, you will be enlisted under Officer career track. For Military ‘Academic’ Universities, you will be enlisted under Officer career track for a ‘General’ Degree programme such as Engineering. For Military ‘Applied Science’ Universities, you will be enlisted under NCO career track for a ‘Technical’ Degree programme. 3) For Civilian Universities or Military ‘Academic’ Universities, you will be commission as a Second Lieutenant, Lieutenant or Captain with a Bachelor Degree. With a Master Degree (Research), you will commission as a Captain. With a Doctorate Degree, you will commission as a Major. 4) Those with a Technical Degree do not start as an Intermediate NCOs with the rank of Senior Sergeant. Those who graduated from Military ‘Applied Science’ Universities will start with ‘Soldiers’ ranks like Private and Senior Private. Unlike Conscript who can only become a Junior Sergeant at their 3rd years of service, Military ‘Applied Science’ Universities Graduates can become Junior Sergeant after few months of service. 5) Each military camp is at least an Army Division level. I don’t think there is no longer any Army Division structure in PLA organization and the most is a change of name for any Army Division. 6a) Traditional, there is not much training and career advancement for NCO track when Army ranks system were introduced. You will be trained by your Army Company for your ‘Basic’ and ‘Vocational’ training as a Solider. You will be promoted to Junior Sergeant at your 3rd years of service without any additional training. Depending the decision from your Army Company Executive Committee such as Vacancy, you may be appointed as a Squad Leader or Deputy Squad Leader. Even Conscript with ‘Soldiers’ ranks like Senior Private can be appointed as Squad Leader if there is a vacancy and mostly will be appointed as Deputy Squad Leader unless there are extra NCOs around. All NCOs will be retired with the appointment of Squad Leader because there is no appointment like US Platoon Sergeant, US First Sergeant and US Sergeant Major. Unlike US, most countries do not have Team Leader appointment because there is no needs for that such as a Squad (mostly have less manpower compare to US) will break down into 2 Teams (Team 1 will be led by Squad Leader and Team 2 will be led by Deputy Squad Leader). 6b) Around 1999, those who are promoted to Junior Sergeant will be attending (before or after promotion) NCO courses. There is still no US Platoon Sergeant equivalent appointment created in PLA. However, there are US First Sergeant equivalent appointment created in PLA few years ago, to allow NCOs to have opportunity be promoted to Master Sergeant 4th class and recognized leadership at Army Company level (omitting Platoon level leadership because all along Squad Leader from 1st Squad will task to do similar jobs like US Platoon Sergeant and US First Sergeant). There are also US Sergeant Major of the Army equivalent appointment created in PLA too, but I am not sure for Command Sergeant Major at Battalion, Regiment and Division level.

[@M3chUpN8y]

Another informative video about the PLA! How about a video about the PLA Airborne Corps in the future?

[@ashifabedin]

That's the content i like the most. Good work!

[@jianglu6980]

2:44 Master Sergeant 3rd Class Xi Jinping is awfully funny to me. lol😹

[@joezhangmd]

Super fascinating! Do they release information on how many of each rank is in the system or how many of what jobs exist like the us MOS or AFSC?

[@ramonruijgt4532]

I kinda like the simple but clear rank icons

[@archiegeorge3969]

You should consider a series of videos about awards. I would love to see the American philosophy and precedence system compared to other countries systems.

[@LejunglerenardThejunglefox]

This was an interesting video, Very interesting to learn our most likely adversary’s rank structure.

[@GeneralCalculus]

I was thinking that having structure of ranks where several ranks share same name with just " [ordinal number] class" sounds dull. But I guess if you're creating ranks from scratch and have no institutional inertia for ranks, thats probably most efficient way to do it. And this is not just about chinese, there are some other rank structures that do same IIRC.

[@danielhillenburg4483]

The American military still does it to some extent - the Navy and Coast Guard have Petty Officer Third Class, Second Class, and First Class, and the Space Force has Specialist 1, 2, 3 and 4. There also are Warrant Officer ranks 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 in many American military branches. It used to be even more common, with the army using specialist ranks across a number of grades, but all of those have been eliminated at this point besides Specialist - 4.

[@LanceJustinian]

The modern military rank system and their names are derived from Western military history, yet these terms are difficult to distinguish intuitively for Chinese who were introduced to the system just a few decades ago. For example, it is difficult to understand the difference in rank between Admiral of the Fleet, Admiral, Vice admiral, and Rear admiral in Chinese, so the Chinese chose to translate them as “naval upper general” "naval middium general" and "naval junior general".

[@aleksandrrakowski4953]

about uniforms type 07 uniform, is actually, type 2007 uniform. and the new camo combat uniform is no longer called "type 19", as of yesterday, the news posted gave an official name for the uniform " type 21 combat uniform" along with " type 21 barrack uniform". the new camouflage is going to be issued to most of the soldiers this winter. as for the ranks. PLA has always given out officer ranks to those with higher education. This is most commonly seen in the national defense technology institutions. those technical experts who were hired directly from the civil areas, universities, researching facilities, were given an equivalent ranks for their education and working background. for the officer at 8:26, he is actually a "police officer" from the CAPF, which is now called something new. they actually call themselves " police officers", instead of soliders. they used to belong to the ministry of public security, along with police department. CAPF included many other branches, other then internal guards, they used to have branches such as, forrest troops, gold seeking troops, especially firefighters, which is no longer a military organization.

[@zetajolyne3689]

The highest rank of nco are even less than the generals and they are truly honored as general (regardless and treatment), they represent the top of the whole army in terms of personal skills&tactics. And in Chinese nco are usually called chief.

[@greensleeves5710]

My question is, for some NCO ranks, technical and even bachelor degrees are required it seems, are there opportunities in the PLA to become a senior NCO without such education? Perhaps as a senior NCO within a role such as a company first sergeant, or are senior NCOs in China required to meet certain educational standards to fit technical roles? Could one achieve a senior NCO rank simply by seniority, or is education absolutely necessary? Furthermore, what roles do senior NCOs serve in the PLA? Roles similar to western militaries, or something different?

[@BattleOrder]

Having Senior NCOs in units is a relatively new thing. Before 2014ish the most senior infantry NCO was basically the squad leader and all NCOs above them were technical specialists (akin to an American Warrant Officer in scope). With the institute of Senior NCOs, which initially was a competitive selection among a brigade's squad leaders, it's possible that requirement was waived or they went through some sort of alternative education at an NCO academy. The technical degrees for intermediate NCOs was attainable at NCO academies already

[@greensleeves5710]

@@BattleOrder Got it, thanks so much

[@ApplePotato]

The job and rank actually makes a lot sense. The rank is more like pay/experience grade. Job is more reflective of the person’s actually duties. As an example the Chief of staff in the US Army is a general but he does not hold any operational command. Therefore it’s natural to follow the orders of person with a higher job title and not rank.

[@dixcico5052]

Its called a billet

[@arc_4543]

Interesting, can you do Korea next? Their rank structure was a bit unusual when I was over there on rotation.

[@yoda5565]

Very well done. I'd wonder what a corps structure and chain of command would look like with the elimination of divisions. What and who pulls more weight?

[@admiralx5796]

As a new enlisted in the PLA or PAP, a recruit could not choose the branch or jobs they desire to join/take...they can only be assigned to the units by the orders from the ministry of defense, so technically there is no "volunteers in the PLA Navy Marine Corps"...

[@azazzelx]

fascinating

[@user-vv7ir1pl4j]

0:47 sheesh that's a background right there

[@imjustthere9343]

0:14 PLA caught lackin

[@jjcowhig3392]

Please do a video on how air cav works please

[@will4519]

PLA does not have conscripts during peace time as volunteers are enough to fill all the roles

[@Phil_the_pain]

Hello, Naxt time can U do Thai, Japan or Korea Ranks?

[@whyyy3605]

0:02 the camera angle can't get any better

[@superduper1917]

Good to know ;-)

[@ZWang-gf7vi]

Actually, all PLA soldiers are volunteered currently.

[@HerezCheez]

3:27 where is this from? It's a fascinating picture.

[@derek2887]

master sergeant 1st class is actually rarer than generals and are highly respected

[@monolithza7159]

The only thing i really like like about the chinese uniforms is how it isnt so goddamn baggy.

[@JoseRodriguez-pn8yj]

Well fitted uniforms do be bussin

[@jonathanwebster7091]

Before 1965, the PLA also had the rank of Yuanshuai (Marshal, equivalent to NATO 5 star rank) and Dayuanshuai ('Grand Marshal' or Generalissimo, equivalent to a 6-star rank). Both were abolished following the abolition of ranks in the PLA from 1965 to 1989. The rank of Yuanshuai was awarded to several prominent Generals, about 15 if memory serves. Whereas that of Dayuanshuai was never actually awarded, though it has been conjectured it was intended to be awarded to Mao Zedong.

[@chiangwinston7460]

Mao Zedong said, "What are the 'Four Greatness'?' GreatTeacher, GreatLeader, GreatSupermeeCommander, GreatHelmsman '? I hate it! One day, all of them will be removed. There is only one teacher left, who is a teacher. Because I have always been a teacher, and now I am still a teacher.“ ps：Mao Zedong's major in university is teachers.

[@jonathanwebster7091]

@@chiangwinston7460 in practice though; nearly every single attempted abolition of rank in any national Army in history resulted in it being woefully unable to coordinate it's military. This was really, really apparent for the PLA during the Sino-Vietmamese war of 1979-1980. Mao's reasoning behind the abolition of rank in the PLA was that it had successfully conquered China without the need of military ranks. While that is true, it's massively impractical for a national army of a sovereign state and plus, people in reality want to fan their vanity through rank and titles and medals. That's just human nature. Like Napoleon said: "you call these baubles, it is by such baubles that men are led." Mao was a great military thinker as regards guerilla warfare, but outside that, not so much in my opinion.

[@LanceJustinian]

But a truth is: during the 1st and 2nd China Civil War against the KMT army, the WW II against the imperial Japanese army and the Kroean War against the US forces, the PLA never used any ranks. @@jonathanwebster7091

[@noahpeng1689]

There were ten Yuanshuai , and Mao Zedong refused any military titles.

[@jonathanwebster7091]

@@noahpeng1689 yes. Although it was never awarded, the Dayuanshuai was a rank 1955-1965 in the hierarchy of the commissioned officers of the PLA.

[@fasteddie9055]

Let's hope that these sharp looking troops don't have to go up against Uncle Sam's soldiers. The last time they were against each other was in Korea back in 1950 - 53. The Chinese made a good showing of themselves. In other words, the PLA has a history of fighting off foreign invaders and they are very proud of their accomplishments.

[@ShinobiHOG]

More on China, please!

[@happyboygogo]

awesome. are you also planning on doing something similar for Russian ranks?

[@legatvsdecimvs3406]

It is basically the same thing, with Junior Ranks(NCO's) having a different insignia(traditional Russian) design(though used to be chevrons between 1998 and 2010). Except there is no "Senior Colonel" and 2 extra General ranks.

[@pain4066]

Can you PLEASE do a video on Indian Army Ranks

[@user-xn3gv4ys9d]

might just be me but im always just absolutely fascinated by ranks and stuff like this

[@valmarsiglia]

0:33 "Damn! Can't find my toupee. Hmm, I know, I'll just glue this cushion to my head."

[@BobjrsGaming]

What is the gun on the NCO patches supposed to be? Doesn't look like any rifle that I know.

[@prechabahnglai103]

Looks a bit like a Lee Enfield… Maybe it was whatever the Chinese used back in the Second World War?

[@baneofbanes]

@@prechabahnglai103 Chinese never used Enfields.

[@kevinzhou9779]

Looks like the Hanyang Type 88 Rifle which was the first domestically manufactured bolt action rifle based on the Gewehr 88 that was equipped en mass with the Chinese military in 1888 by the Qing Dynasty. It was used en mass by the Nationalists and Communists until the end of WWII.

[@fanyechao2761]

SKS

[@matthewz8777]

@@fanyechao2761 probably SKS or type 56/63, it is what the chinese use as their ceremonial rifle after all

[@fkh3100]

There is civilian rank for nurse and doctors, actors/actresses (PLA got artistes groups who acted in PLA drama who glorify China as high tech country..).. one big star and one baton below that star.. How to tell whether that civilian is rank higher than other?

[@davidchew6449]

1) It depend on the row of ribbons the serviceman have. 2) Each row has three ribbons. Always the highest row and middle ribbon will have star. 2 stars represent Leader and 1 star represent Deputy Leader. 3) Each row mean the level of organization structure: 7 rows: Level of Vice Chairman of CMC (Chinese: 中央军委副主席) and CMC members (Chinese: 中央军委委员) 6 rows: Level of Theater Command (Chinese: 大军区级) 5 rows: Level of Corps (Chinese: 军级) 4 rows: Level of Division (Chinese: 师级) 3 rows: Level of Regiment/Brigade (Chinese: 团级) 2 rows: Level of Battalion (Chinese: 营级) 1 row: Level of Company (Chinese: 连级) and Platoon (Chinese: 排级) 4) For example, 2 rows and top middle ribbon will have 1 star. This mean the appointment is Deputy Battalion Commander and if convert to rank is equivalent to Captain or Major. 5) Fun Fact: For actors/actresses who are no longer in active duty, they still get to be promoted and issued more rows of ribbons.

[@zyrob3435]

They even had professional athletes wearing PLA uniforms and representing the PLA team. Until they phased that out about two years ago...

[@VungL]

Being promoted directly to captian is new to me in the army. I've seen that in police service but never in the army.

[@Marianrest]

It was popular during ww2 and Korea but after that it pretty much disappeared.

[@visiblehiggs130]

0:39 in this clip it show Xi Jing ping is awarding himself.

[@Blueboy0316]

"If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained, you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle". -Sun Tzu

[@movieviewing]

Thanks for the explanation I don’t think it could be made more simple. Chinese rank structure seems over complicated I don’t have my head wrapped around it. I am use to the British rank structure that makes more sense to me

[@wampastompastomp]

Why do you use words such as "it likely means..." or "possible...." or "seems..."? Why so much imprecise wording? Also why didn't you include the Chinese terms (a pinyin version would be good enough, provided those are readily found on wikipedia). Where are your sources for all the info? The fact that you called the soldier "conscripts" from the very beginning and then tried to backtrack on the pinned comment has me worried.

[@challengecoins4u]

Do ranks for the Singapore Armed Forces

[@nenadcelik8549]

First time seeing qr code on soldiers uniform.well

[@bucciflipflops5120]

I have a uncle that is a Lieutenant colonel in china, he said it was hard to climb up when you get to high ranks

[@legatvsdecimvs3406]

Generally the same everywhere. The higher the rank, the fewer the positions, the more competition.

[@davec3400]

They still use political officers over there right? How do their rank insignia tie into the overall structure? Do they get the ribbon with the 1 star and act as the unit deputy or they get their own ribbon type device marking them as the zampolit?

[@kevinzhou9779]

The PLA still has political officers for any units that are regimental (or Brigades in the modern days) and higher. They are not a specialized trade anymore like the old days. Nowadays it's treated more like a position that many officers all have to occupy as apart of their career progression. On top of the usual job of in charge of political works they also take on duties of an adjutant and RSM in the Western Army managing discipline among subordinate officers and NCOs. The service ribbon the PLA wears only denotes two things. Their time in and level of positions they currently and previously occupied (platoon, company, battalion, brigade and etc.)

[@einarbolstad8150]

@@kevinzhou9779 Could you dig a bit deeper into the use of ribbons? Also, if ribbons denote time in and positions, how would an award be shown when the full medal is not worn? Pins?

[@kevinzhou9779]

@@einarbolstad8150 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orders,_decorations,_and_medals_of_China This is a good starting point to that'll hopefully bring you to some good portals if you can read Chinese. Also, something I just learned today from looking at this is that ribbons for medals also on worn dress uniforms too now. As far as medals for outstanding performance or participation in overseas deployment goes. According to the pictures I've seen and from Global Security, it's still very much chaotic in which you wear them in rows on the left side of the uniform going from top down and left to right based on the ranking of the medal and the order in which you receive it. It's pretty chaotic looking if you ask me. It wouldn't surprise me if the PLA changes that to a better looking US or British way of wearing them.

[@kyawzawhtet1718]

Modern Russian Military ranks explain video please please :')

[@stc2828]

Good to know the Chinese president has blood type A! 2:49

[@muzzta]

Do Algerian armored force plz ❤️

[@legatvsdecimvs3406]

Brigades are nice... until you have to mobilize 10 million men and the Theater Commander has to remember where that *2713th* Brigade is, which he has under his command. Then the Theater Commander will likely need to organize improvised units which group individual Brigades, Regiments, support Battalions, and other related units into one Battlefield Command which can move and fight together, and you can call them whatever you like if "Division" is a no no... Task Force Brigade Group Battle Group Sector Command Corps Command Probably would look something like this: General Staff HQ/CMC (General) Southeastern Theater Command (Lieutenant General) 10th Army (Major General) Sector 5-10 (Senior Colonel) 55th Command and Communications Battalion (Lieutenant Colonel) 125th Infantry Brigade (Colonel) 95th Mechanized Brigade (Colonel) 108th Artillery Regiment (Lieutenant Colonel) 155th Logistics and Supply Regiment (Lieutenant Colonel) 210th Combat Engineer Battalion (Major) Organizing all of the above units into a "Sector Command" would simplify the job of the command staff of the (Group) Army and Theater Command in time of war. It is nice to have a "Senior" Colonel rank when you don't want to promote Division level commanders to a "General" rank. Also it looks like China also has a Chief General(4 star) rank, but it is "dormant" and not in use right now with the PLA being in peacetime configuration.

[@jiaqingzhang6404]

master sergeant 4th class has been renamed senior sergeant first class while senior sergeant renamed to senior sergeant second class.

[@hueyhavok]

The QR code is pretty neat. I got a QR code patch on my plate carrier. But it links to “Never Gonna Give You Up”-Rick Astley.

[@TxInfinity]

It's pretty weird thinking about how similar our doctrines are. From what I remember, the Chinese PLA adopted a lot of Western influence in terms of force structure and leadership.

[@quisqueyanguy120]

Hey if ain't broke...

[@Stealingiscaring]

To be fair, the Western (more specifically the US) military was and is still the strongest force in the world. The ability to wield such might requires relatively excellent organization. One learns from the strongest, not the weakest, to become stronger.

[@AndrewJ9673]

I mean the PRC has done a very bootleg job of it but yes they’ve tried shifting towards a western military. Western doctrine relies heavily on technological superiority, superior training and experience, efficient leaders, and strong naval power/power projection (in order to have strong air power). None of these things China has. The weapons that allowed the US to steamroll Iraq in 1991 are still trying to make their way into the PRC today. The PLA serves shorter service terms than western militaries and the training is pretty insufficient from what I see. Add on the PLA has not actually fought a war themselves in decades and its clear they have a long ways to go still.

[@user-rk3zz9ml8m]

@@AndrewJ9673 2 decades of war in afghanistan didn't improve Wertern forces as far as training and morale. If they put all those resources into better use, the gap between them and PLA can be widening.

[@vcqrsfdwc1987]

@@AndrewJ9673 you know what？ just keep thinking in this way and I'm sure everything's gonna be fine 我还以为大清早灭亡了呢，看来列强无不怀念它，以至于决定变成它。

[@kasparvg]

1:10 someone put the yoshi jump sfx over this

[@thelieutenant7732]

Next adversary, North Korea? If I recall correctly, they’re loosely similar to the Chinese, but also do a lot of their own thing

[@Nonviableaccount]

Good to know which bodies to search for the best trophies, thanks bud.

[@thatfatguyinmcdonaldseatin6389]

Senior colonel could be a brigadier general

[@skinnysingingcowboy3230]

Now we know who to aim for 👍

[@vocallocal7824]

I will have to watch this four or five times to really understand the Chinese rank system.

[@archenok]

OK u got me I laughed since Xi Jinping got demoted so hard.

[@typhoic]

whoa they just look like in battlefield 4

[@More_Row]

Pure video game ranks

[@MegaAgill]

They have pretty uniforms like the SS did.

[@jw1731]

2:43 Master Sergeant 3rd class Xi Jinping

[@Nucleotide5313]

I would be interested to see a DPRK themed rank video

[@TakeTheL-iam]

Honestly, I prefer how simple & nice looking the PLA insignias are

[@meklavier4664]

when did china have conscript in their army? My cousin who serve in their army told me they have so many people applying to serve in their army, they never need to resort to conscription.

[@TheLilKon]

You guys still have never released that vietnamese squad video

[@BattleOrder]

We have: kzbin.info/www/bejne/g5yngKJpobqjbc0

[@napoleonibonaparte7198]

I don’t think they conscript as practise, if they did, their personnel would’ve been in the millions, and because they have been cutting numbers as part of the reforms previously to be more professional.

[@harshavarthanvenkatesh3247]

Do a video about Indian army squad structure plzzz

[@chenzenzo]

They got QR codes!? They better not start that shit in America. I mean, I know we're products, but I don't wanna be reminded of it.

[@MagronesBR2]

Wondering if the PLA has their own "E-4 Triad".

[@JoseRodriguez-pn8yj]

Most likely

[@tomsawyer118]

Paused at 3:00min. Got it, choosy anything with a line and especially aim for a wreath. Understood.

[@atomiicchi3f983]

Aim for the stars

[@3500kn]

QR code? I need more details on this haha

[@juriesnake]

No audio?

[@b.elzebub9252]

0:33 that is the most gloriously hideous wig I have ever seen. *chef's kiss*

[@andreagallo6224]

We need a version of thi video about russian officers!