The Force Structure

Institutional arrangements at the top—especially the importance of the Military Affairs Commission (MAC) of the Central Committee in the making of national security policy—force People&s;s Liberation Army (PLA) leaders to participate and compete at the apex of the political-military structure. In theory, the MAC sets policy on major issues of military policy, and on internal PLA matters of major importance, while the decisions are implemented by the Ministry of National Defense and the three general departments of the PLA. Up until the death of Mao Tse-tung, the Minister of National Defense (MND) was generally the most powerful individual in the PLA. The MND no longer controls the three top military schools, which are described as being "directly under the Military Commission." The General Political Department is the highest political organ of the uniformed PLA, and is responsible for assuring party leadership of the military through a process known as "politicization."