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China Conditions of Service
The Military Service Law stipulated changes in conditions of
service. Compulsory terms of service were three years for the
ground forces and four for the Air Force and Navy. Soldiers could
elect another term of one or two years in the ground forces and one
year in the Navy and Air Force. After completing five years of
compulsory service, a soldier could switch to voluntary service and
could serve an eight- to twelve-year term until the age of thirtyfive . The conscription law also made provisions for limited
preferential treatment of service personnel and their families.
However, military service was regarded by some as a hardship
because of low pay, poor food, lowered marriage prospects, and
difficulties in finding jobs after demobilization. To alleviate the
unattractive aspects of military service and to help local economic
development, the PLA instituted a program of dual-use training,
whereby soldiers learned skills useful in civilian life in addition
to military training
(see Defense Industry and the Economic Role of the People's Liberation Army
, this ch.).
Data as of July 1987
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