Army Infantry College of the PLA

The Army Infantry College is the result of the 2017 merger between two institutions, the Nanchang Army Academy and the Shijiazhuang Mechanized Infantry Academy. A third entity, the Yuanzhi Branch of the Shijiazhuang Army Command Academy, had joined slightly before. The institutional lineage is as follows:

• On 12 August 1949, the Jiangxi Branch of the Military and Political University of China was established, with its campus located in Wangchenggang, Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province.^[1][3]
• In January 1950, the branch is renamed "South-Central Military and Political University's Jiangxi Branch Campus"
• In August 1950 it is renamed "South-Central Military and Political University's 4th Branch Campus".
• On 13 March 1951, the branch campus was given separate independence, established as the "PLA 23rd Infantry School", a corps grade unit.
• In 1952, the 23rd Infantry School, the Training Service of the Third Air Defense School of East China, and the teaching battalion of the Fourth Army were merged to establish the "PLA Air Defense School". In September 1958, the Air Defense School merged with the Air Force Radar School.
• In 1953, a different section of the 23rd Infantry School set up the "PLA South-Central Military Region Normal School".
• In 1955, the school was renamed "PLA Guangzhou Military Region 3rd Cultural Normal School"
• In May 1955, the Normal School was renamed "PLA Nanchang Infantry School", assigned to the Nanjing Military Region. In 1960 it was returned to the Fuzhou Military Region.
• In January 1963, renamed "PLA Fuzhou Military Region Infantry School"
• In 1968, During the Cultural Revolution, the Fuzhou Military Region Infantry School was dissolved.
• In February 1974, the "PLA Fuzhou Military Region Political Cadres School" was established at the same Wangchenggang site of the old Infantry School.^[4]
• In January 1978, the Cadres School was renamed "PLA Fuzhou Military Region Infantry School", completing its restoration.
• In December 1984, the school was renamed "PLA Nanchang Army School"
• In 1985, it was transferred to the Nanjing Military Region.
• On 6 September 1986, the school was promoted into the "PLA Nanchang Army Academy".^[3] In 1992 it was demoted to division grade.^[5]
• In 1994, Jiang Zemin wrote an inscription for the 45th anniversary of the founding of the academy: "To build a modernized and regularized revolutionary army, let's train a large number of qualified talent".^[6]
• At the end of 2015, as part of the military reforms, the academy was transferred from the (abolished) Nanjing Military Region to the direct control of the PLAGF.^[7]

• On March 5, 1951, in accordance with the first "National Military School and Troop Training Conference", and the People's Revolutionary Military Commission instructions on the reorganization of major military regions and their branches into infantry schools, the General Staff issued a document ordering all major military and political universities to be renamed "PLA Advanced Infantry Schools" and all branches to be renamed "PLA Infantry Schools", all while reducing the total number of schools. In this reorganization, the North China Military and Political University was renamed the Sixth Advanced Infantry School; the Huolu Branch of the North China Military and Political University and the 67th Army Headquarters were rebuilt into the "32nd Infantry School".
• On 23 June 1952, the Central Military Commission issued the "Order on Adjusting the National Military Academies", and the 32nd School was renamed "Ninth Infantry School" and moved to Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province.
• On May 30, 1955, the Ministry of Defense ordered infantry schools to use toponymic names. The school changed its name to "PLA Shijiazhuang Infantry School".
• In September 1962, according to the circular No. 363 issued by the PLA General Staff, infantry schools were renamed according to their military region. The school changed its name to "Beijing Military Region Infantry School".
• In 1969, during the Cultural Revolution, the Beijing Military Region Infantry School was abolished.
• In 1977, the Beijing Military Region Infantry School was re-established.^[8]
• In December 1980, the school was renamed the "Shijiazhuang Army School".
• In June 1986, the school was promoted into the "Shijiazhuang Army Academy".
• In May 2004, the Shijiazhuang Army Academy and the Yuanzhi Branch of the Shijiazhuang Army Command Academy merged to form the "PLA Shijiazhuang Mechanized Infantry Academy", intended to be a junior talent training base, and a theoretical research center for the Army's Mechanized Infantry.^[9] Deputy corps grade. The academy did not accept gaokao students, only serving officers.
• In 2015, as part of the 2015 reforms, the academy was transferred from the (abolished) Beijing Military Region to the direct jurisdiction of the PLAGF.^[10]

• In April 1955, the Central Military Commission commanded that an "Armored Forces Academy" should be established based on the Armored Forces Department of the Nanjing Military Academy. In August 1955, the Ministry of National Defense instructed the Armored Corps of the Military Commission to be responsible for the establishment of the academy.
• On 26 May 1958, the Ministry of National Defense ordered the formation of a corps grade armored forces academy in Datong, Shanxi, based on the Armored Corps Department of the Military Academy. On June 1, 1958, the "PLA Armored Forces Academy" was officially established, which is the first armored forces' higher education institution of the PLA, located in Datong City, Shanxi Province. Xu Guangda served as president and political commissar.^[11][12]
• On 5 March 1959, the establishment ceremony for the Armored Forces Academy takes place.
• On 17 February 1969 during the Cultural Revolution, the Armored Forces Academy is dissolved.
• On September 1, 1975, the "PLA Armored Forces Political Cadres School" was established in Yuanshi County, Hebei Province. Corps grade.
• On January 12, 1978, school was upgraded to "The Chinese People's Liberation Army Armored Forces Academy". Full army grade. On 3 May 1983, it was reduced to corps grade.
• On 9 June 1986, it was renamed "PLA Armored Forces Command School", and placed directly under the command of the General Staff Department. Corps grade.
• On 26 August 1992, the School was demoted to "PLA Armored Forces College". Division grade.
• On 3 June 1993, promoted to "Armored Forces Command Academy". Deputy corps grade.
• In July 1999, Jiang Zemin ordered the merger of the Armored Corps Command Academy and the Army Staff Academy to form the "Shijiazhuang Army Command Academy". Included in the reform, the Armored Forces Command College was converted into the Yuanshi Branch of the Shijiazhuang Army Command Academy.^[13][14]

• In 2017, as part of the 2015 Reforms, the Nanchang Army Academy and the Shijiazhuang Mechanized Infantry Academy were merged to form the Army Infantry College of the PLA. The headquarters of the academy was located in Nanchang City, and the secondary campus in Shijiazhuang.^[1] On August 1, 2017, the establishment ceremony of the academy was held in Nanchang.^[15] On the same day, the Shijiazhuang campus held a nameplate unveiling ceremony.^[16]

The school is responsible for the training of junior-level commanding officers, combined arms battalion staff officers, Military Science graduate students, as well as foreign company and platoon-level command and staff officers. As of 2017, the following degrees or specialties were offered.^[2]

The college trains NCO in 2-3 year courses.^[2]

As of 2017, there were four undergraduate specialties, subdivided into "specialty directions":^[1][2]

• Combat Command (作战指挥):
  • Command of Motorized Infantry Units (摩托化步兵分队指挥)
  • Command of Mountain Infantry Units (山地步兵分队指挥)
  • Command of Guard and Service Units (警卫勤务分队指挥)
  • Command of Mechanized Infantry Battalion Artillery Units (机械化步兵营属炮兵分队指挥)
• Command Information Systems Engineering (指挥信息系统工程):
  • Command of Air Assault Units (空中突击步兵分队指挥)
  • Command of Light High Mobility Infantry Units (轻型高机动步兵分队指挥)
• Armored Vehicle Engineering (装甲车辆工程):
  • Command of Armored Infantry Units (装甲步兵分队指挥)
  • Command of Mechanized Infantry Reconnaissance Units (机械化步兵侦察分队指挥)
• Weapon Systems and Engineering (武器系统与工程):
  • Command of Motorized Infantry Units Artillery Detachments (摩托化步兵营属炮兵分队指挥)

There are two master's degree majors:^[2]

• Military Command (军事指挥)
• Military Equipment (军事装备)

The main campus is in Nanchang. This campus is 19,600 mu -1,307 hectares (3,230 acres), plus 40 external training sites.^[2]：