The Southern Theater Command () is one of the five theater commands of the People's Liberation Army. Founded on 1 February 2016, its predecessor was the Guangzhou Military Region. Its jurisdiction includes Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan, Yunnan, Hainan and the South Sea Fleet, as well as the Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau.
Area of responsibility The Southern Theater Command's jurisdiction includes Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan, Yunnan, Hainan and the South Sea Fleet, as well as the Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau. Southern Theater Command's area of responsibility (AOR) includes Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam (Mainland Southeast Asia) and the South China Sea. The command's primary missions are maintaining security in the South China Sea and supporting the Eastern Theater Command in any major Taiwan Contingency.
Organizational structure
The Southern Theater Command consists of the following components: Southern Theater Command Southern Theater Command Ground Force 74th Group Army 1st Amphibious Combined Arms Brigade 125th Amphibious Combined Arms Brigade 132rd Light Combined Arms Brigade 163rd Light Combined Arms Brigade 154th Medium Combined Arms Brigade 16th Heavy Combined Arms Brigade 74th Special Operations Brigade 74th Army Aviation Brigade 74th Artillery Brigade 74th Air Defense Brigade 74th Engineer and Chemical Defense Brigade 74th Sustainment Brigade 75th Group Army 32nd Mountain Combined Arms Brigade 37th Light Combined Arms Brigade 42nd Light Combined Arms Brigade 122nd Medium Combined Arms Brigade 31st Heavy Combined Arms Brigade 123rd Heavy Combined Arms Brigade 121st Air Assault Brigade 75th Special Operation Brigade 75th Artillery Brigade 75th Air Defense Brigade 75th Engineer and Chemical Defense Brigade 75th Sustainment Brigade Southern Theater Command Navy (South Sea Fleet) 2nd Destroyer Detachment 9th Destroyer Detachment 17th Frigate Detachment 18th Frigate Detachment 19th Frigate Detachment 32nd Submarine Detachment 52nd Submarine Detachment 6th Landing Ship Detachment 3rd Combat Support Ship Detachment Danger and Lifesaver Detachment Southern Theater Command Air Force 2nd Independent Regiment 2nd Fighter Division 8th Bomber Division 9th Fighter Division 13th Transport Division 18th Fighter Division 42nd Fighter Division
List of leaders
Commanders English nameChinese nameTook officeLeft officeNotesWang JiaochengFebruary 2016January 2017Yuan YubaiJanuary 2017June 2021Wang XiubinJune 2021July 2024Wu YananJuly 2024Incumbent
Political commissars English nameChinese nameTook officeLeft officeNotesWei LiangFebruary 2016April 2018Wang JianwuDecember 2018December 2023Wang WenquanDecember 2023Incumbent
Chief of Staff English nameChinese nameTook officeLeft officeNotesJia JianchengIncumbent
See also Southern Theater Command Ground Force Southern Theater Command Air Force Southern Theater Command Navy Hong Kong Garrison Macao Garrison
References