April 23, 2007:
Only about a third of Chinese
military personnel are conscripts. That's about 700,000 men. They serve for two
years, with each years class of conscripts inducted in the Fall. Only about
350,000 conscripts are inducted each year. Thus only about four percent of each
years crop of 18 year old males is needed. How do they decide who to take?
Naturally, the army tries to get the most physically, psychologically and
educationally fit for the armed forces. To that end, the military has been
administering tests to draftees for about a decade now. If you're not literate,
they don't want you. But the better educated 18 year olds don't want to go into
the military, not with that booming economy out there. Most of these lads bribe
their way out. There are lots of bribes involved in the Chinese conscription system.
A lot of young men who don't have much education,
do want to get into the military. For one thing, it's a job, and there are
opportunities for education and advancement. The military tried to identify the
more capable among these poor, uneducated young men, so they can be taken into
service. That's because too many of the best material isn't available. Those
who have been accepted by a university are automatically exempt, as are those
with a criminal record. Drug addicts, the physically or mentally infirm and
anyone who just doesn't seem right to the examiners, is exempt from
conscription. And for many of those who are perfect, there are numerous
officials willing to take a bribe, and get you off the list.
The work of deciding who actually gets drafted is
done by thousands of draft boards, or, as the Chinese call them People's Armed
Forces Departments (PAFD). Each is assigned a quota, based on how many 18 years
old are coming of age in a town or city neighborhood. Since these locations
vary greatly in the wealth and educational levels of the inhabitants, some
PAFDs have an easy time of it, while others have to struggle to meet their
quota. In some wealthy PAFDs, hardly anyone wants to go, and some interesting
soap operas ensue. In less wealthy PAFDs, bribes will be paid to get some kids
in. Not large bribes, but you get the picture. In the late 1990s, the operation
of the PAFDs was turned over to the military, in an attempt to reduce the
corruption, and insure that the best quality recruits were obtained. This was
partially successful.
The Chinese armed forces has shrunk by 1.7 million
troops in the last twenty years, and now consists of 2.3 million active duty
personnel. The ratio of officers to troops was also improved, by a sharp
reduction in the number of officers, and the growth of the number of
professional NCOs. About a third of the Chinese military personnel are
officers. This high proportion of officers was adopted from the Russians, who
did not want to develop a professional NCO (sergeants) corps. But the Chinese
are developing professional NCOs as well, and another third of the force are
NCOs, or long term enlisted troops working towards becoming NCOs. To attract
high quality conscripts, who will stay in the service to become NCOs, the
military offers bonuses and help with college tuition. It will even take
college graduates and promote them, right after basic training, to an NCO rank.
The military has shrunkover the last decade, and most of those laid
off have been officers. Older, and less educated officers are being retired,
and new, better educated ones, sought among the ranks of recent college
graduates. The military used to rely a lot on enlisted troops becoming
officers, via selection and a few months training. No more. With 20 percent of
Chinese 18 year olds going to college, there is an opportunity to quickly
upgrade the officer corps (at least in terms of formal education.)
But in the end, too many of the people they don't
want are trying to get into the military, and too many of those they do want
are trying to avoid service.