The Central Military Commission, Theater Commands, and Services
Addressing a CMC meeting on reform on November 24, 2015, Xi Jinping presented a general principle guiding the reform of the leadership and command system, affirming the CMC's overarching leadership role, the TCs' responsibility for military operations and the services' focus on developing capabilities.
The CMC's overall leadership ensures the CMC's unified command and leadership of the military, its strategic management and command, and the effective implementation of the CMC chairperson responsibility system. The CMC functional organs are responsible for providing advice, executing decisions, or providing other services to assist the CMC's overall planning, macro-level guidance, and oversight.
Theater commands are responsible for commanding joint operations across their areas of responsibility (AORs). There are now five TCs after the reorganization, each with its own joint operations command structure, which incorporates the command functions previously performed by the services.
Services are responsible for capability development and management of the troops under their respective command. The reform process involves improving the management structure of the services by transferring the capability development and management functions from the former MACs to the services.
軍委管總、戰區主戰、軍種主建
2015年11月24日，習近平在中央軍委改革工作會議上發表重要講話，明確軍委管總、戰區主戰、軍種主建，是領導指揮體制改革的總原則。
軍委管總，就是強化軍委統一領導指揮全軍的職能，完善軍委戰略管理和戰略指揮功能，確保軍委主席負責制有效落實。軍委機關實行多部門制，作為軍委的參謀機關、執行機關和服務機關，保障軍委搞好頂層謀劃、宏觀指導、監察督導。
戰區主戰，就是戰區作為聯合作戰指揮活動的重心和戰略方向指揮的責任主體。重新劃設5個戰區，成立戰區聯合作戰指揮機構，將軍種有關指揮職能融入戰區。
軍種主建，就是軍種作為建設管理活動的重心和本軍種部隊建設的責任主體。完善軍種領導管理機構，將原軍區有關建設管理職能交給軍種。
