What Does an Adjutant General Do?

The Chinese chief of staff has a Chinese vocabulary with pinyin cn móu zhng, the head of the military command department of the army at all levels, and assists the military chief of the army to conduct the command. ^[1] Chiefs of Staff at all levels including the brigade, division, group army, military region and other units. In units below the regiment, there are only combat staff and no chief of staff.

[cn móu zhng]

Chief of staff ^[2]

Level: The chief of staff is equivalent to the deputy chief of the military officer of the unit, that is, the chief of staff of the regiment is the deputy regiment, the chief of staff of the division (brigade) is the rank of deputy division (brigade), the chief of staff of the army is deputy army, and the chief of staff of the military region is equivalent to Military deputy

Sprout in spring and autumn

In the ancient Chinese army, the post of staff and the corresponding organization already existed, but the titles were different in each historical period. Although the war was frequent in the Spring and Autumn Period in China and before the Spring and Autumn Period, due to the comprehensive combat capabilities and war intensity of the participating countries at that time, such as the national strength base, the number of troops, the level of equipment, strategic tactics, and the scale of the conflict, it was relatively weak compared to the later Warring States era. The duration of armed confrontation is also relatively short. Therefore, among the countries participating in the war in the Spring and Autumn Period, the monarch of that country or the general who combines the functions of a conspirator and a general commanded the operation, slammed the drums, and issued orders. Therefore, the Spring and Autumn Period was the embryonic period for the post of chief of staff in our country, but at that time, only the generals in the army exercised part-time functions, and there was no full-time staffing agency and corresponding staff chief positions. In this historical period, the most representative person is the famous military strategist Sun Wu who was appointed as a general by King Wu in 512 BC. This warrior who has a deep understanding of the art of war has the characteristics of "quasi chief of staff" He was an early embryonic representative, but in the strictest sense, he could not be called a full-time military staff.

Born in the Warring States Period

In the Warring States Period and after the Warring States Period, with the continuous advancement of military technology at that time, the level of military equipment has been greatly improved, and the comprehensive national strength and logistical support capabilities of the participating Warring States have also been greatly developed. Not only did the warring parties have sharp iron weapons, but also , Also equipped with a very advanced crossbow at that time, its arrow range of more than 600 steps, siege ladders and boat battles and other water and land offensive and defensive weapons, began to be deployed in the army, with fast response and long range during land operations The cavalry with strike capability was put into use in the field, and the actual combat frequency gradually surpassed the traditional infantry. In the siege of the siege, the tunnel tactics such as tunnel warfare were used. The intensity of the war and the complexity of the battle were relative to that of Spring and Autumn. The times have clearly strengthened. Sometimes the military input of a war can reach as many as 100,000 people. The stalemate of war can last for months or even years. It is precisely because the political situation and military strategy between nations continued to change during the Warring States Period, and the scale of the war has further intensified and expanded, making the old command and operation system since the Spring and Autumn Period difficult to meet the requirements of new military changes in the new era. The full-time staff of the coach came into being. In this historical period, the relatively early chief of staff of the ancient army was Sun Jun, a division of the Qi State Army in the middle of the Warring States Period. According to the "Historical Records of Sun Tzu, Sun Tzu Wu Qi Biography": In 353 BC, King Qi Wei "... And Sun Tzu is a division, sitting in a car, and sitting for a trick .... "Therefore, Sun Ting, then a military division, was the earliest full-time army chief of staff in the history of China's military history.

Appeared in the Tang Dynasty

Although in the battle sequence of the ancient army of the country, army staff and military staff organizations appeared and began to develop during the Warring States Period, military personnel who exercised the function of full-time staff were not referred to as "staff" but often used " Military Division "and other specific titles to refer to the position.

In the history of China's military history, the earliest historical period in which the title of "staff" appeared was in the Tang Dynasty. According to the "Old Tang Book · Official Records", at that time, the members of the military at that time had "... marching staff and secret military secrets .... "" Therefore, since the Tang Dynasty, the title of "staff" has been used to this day. This is the historical source of the word "staff" in the "chief of the chief of staff" of the modern military post in China. ^[1]