The Chinese military announced plans on the construction of a state-of-the-art command headquarters.
China's Central Military Commission (CMC), headed by President and CMC Chairman Xi Jinping, publicized a guideline endorsing the construction of a "modernized command headquarters," state-run news agency reported. The guideline, approved by Xi, said that the command headquarters would enhance the capability of the world's second largest military.
"The ability to command an army to win a regional war in the age of information is the goal of this new type of command headquarters," the guideline said.
It also listed down measures for strengthening command measures, including the building of integrated platforms, networks, software and databases, and the creation of joint operation command model based on an "information" system, which it did not elaborate.
The guideline also contains instructions for all Chinese army units to listen to Xi's orders, which concentrates on building a strong army that is capable of operating in today's military environment. It urged army units to bolster their political and ideological structure via instructions from Xi, and to maintain focus on the Chinese Communist Party's direct leadership over the military, thus ensuring absolute loyalty, morality and reliability among the ranks.
Xi has been recently pressing for the strengthening of the country's 2.3-million strong army, even as they expand their reach over the disputed waters of the South China Sea and the East Sea.
In 2014, the government spent 808.23 billion yuan ($131.57 billion) in national defense, a 12.2-percent increase from the previous year, making it the second largest military budget in the world next to the U.S.