PLA training

What sort of training do the two year conscripts of the PLA, PLAAF and PLAN recieve?? Being a former US military member(USN) for 20 years and having a son on active duty in the USN for the last 7.5 years I am keenly aware of what sort of training the USN has. I have on several ocassions asked questions about the training in the PLAN. I still am waiting for an answer. Recently I posted this in the PLAN sub thread.

Honestly I'm skeptical of any service that uses conscripts for their main force. Not because of the quality of the conscript but the amount of time they spend in service. Usally 2 years. Too little time. You can't possibly train anyone on modern day hi-tech equipmnet in such a short period of time. My son is a sonar tech(surface). He spent 20 months in school learning his feild as part of his USN training. Does anyone in this forum have any first hand knowledge about how the PLAN trains it's sub sailors? How many of the sub sailors are carreer professionals? I would love to know.

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So could someone tell me or post links in English besides sinodefence.com about the training the PLA recieves.

I've read this forums threads.

I really don't understand how the PLA can become profecient with it's oncomming "hi-tech" weaponary with two year concripts. It takes time to train people how to profencently operate this sort of equipment.

And just what percentage of the PLA are career NCO's? I know the US armed forces are about 50% career people. Career professionals in other words that know their jobs.

I am not trying to start a flame war or provoke the old "my service is better than your service" argument. I just want to know this..What sort of training do the conscripts of the PLA recieve? What % of the PLA is career NCO's? Thanks!

It really depends. Similar to US, China uses a volunteer based system. There are mainly two types of soldiers:
1. Went into it to become a soldier for life.
2. Went into it for a few years, because pla helps those who serve in the army to get jobs.

My personal opinion is that the education surrounding some of the pla soldiers is not too high, that's probably why the president Hu is echoing filling the pla ranks with more educated officers.

well, more and more sailors in the navy are NCOs now, since ship stuff is more difficult to handle than army rifle. i don't know the percentage, but it's growing. i don't know about US, but navy calls people from coast, the lots of the future sailors know about the sea and ships before they go to the navy. don't know more, not familiar with the navy, and it is

NATIONAL SECERET!!!!!

quiet a few children of my parent's friends were conscripted. Conscripts mainly goes to the army as infantry. Positions that required specialized traininng are usually for those who are selected based on education and other factors, in which case your term of service will be extended whether you like it or not. As far as I know, cadets from military academies are the primary candidates for highly technical post...

Conscripts do not work well in navy the japs tried this in WWII in the 50s and early 60s a small number of the PLAN is very skilled mainly the defected KMT mainly those that got training in britian, us, germany. hence the technical training emphise in the 50s later on as they retired or were purged thing went down. in the early when DONG rose to power the ond drial were instaled agin

lack of experiance demonstrated in that the LUDA calss destoryer designed in the 60s dont even have Mess halls

Thanks for the info here and in the FAQ thread.

I was really skeptical about the operational ablity of the PLAN with conscripts. But Darth answerd that question in the other thread. You just can't put a conscript on a ship. They have to be volunteers. Navies worldwide found that out many years ago. The main consideration is you have to want to go to sea.Another has to be training. As far as any navy is concerned there are just to many technical jobs that take a long time to learn to use conscripts in those positions.

So what about the PLAAF? Do they have conscripts also?

bd popeye said:

Thanks for the info here and in the FAQ thread.

I was really skeptical about the operational ablity of the PLAN with conscripts. But Darth answerd that question in the other thread. You just can't put a conscript on a ship. They have to be volunteers. Navies worldwide found that out many years ago. The main consideration is you have to want to go to sea.Another has to be training. As far as any navy is concerned there are just to many technical jobs that take a long time to learn to use conscripts in those positions.

So what about the PLAAF? Do they have conscripts also?

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Hmm well i dunno much about this, but considering that the air force is kind of "special" and highly technical, i don't think they'll use conscript. You don't wan't the unskilled to touch expensive hardware.

one thing people have to understand is. this is not like in those US movies about Soviet Union, like people are drafted, unwilling to go to the military. in china, people want to go to the military, even the law states chinese military force personnels are selected on both conscription and volunteering, yet, i believe 99% of the people are volunteering. there are always over numbered people want to go to the military every single year, and people have to bribe the officers to get their sons into the military. so.....conscription is not an "exact" term for today's chinese military.
if i am understanding your question probably.

edited
but, as people are saying, now i consider more and more people with high education are kinda "conscripted" as such people are not willing to go to the military, but the force still requires such personnel, so.....
in china, local university students could be as reserves (not like army reserves) officer cadidates, training lightly during school years, and military would pay their tutition, as they will join the service after graduation for at least 7 years( not sure, could be even longer). this way, the military keeps a number of high educated people in the military.
another way is the military increased the salary for NCOs, one soldier (sailor) may join the service with a low education, but after 2 years in the service, they have a basic military training, they will be promoted later on, as the navy may want them to stay.

I thought their were no conscripts in the PLA these days?

i dun think there are conscripts in the pla because china just got too many people. i heard only one person is chosen out of any 10 candidates. so, it's actually pretty hard to make it to the military even for volunteers.