Inside the PLA’s new austerity drive: lean, mean, printing-on-both-sides machine

The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is distributing second-hand briefcases, salvaging screws and steel bars, and reusing holiday decorations to keep costs down as part of a thrift campaign emphasising growth through frugality.

It forms part of a broader cost-cutting effort in the Chinese military under Beijing’s 15th five-year plan covering 2026 to 2030, which calls for building the armed forces through “diligence and thrift” and pursuing a path of “high efficiency, low cost and sustainability”.

In policy articulations following the central government’s comprehensive strategic development plan, the PLA has been urged to “live a tight life” – a slogan aligning with a similar push across civilian departments.

The PLA has also been exhorted to improve its military procurement system and reduce the costs of training, management and equipment support.

Consistent with those calls, the military mouthpiece PLA Daily recently published a series of articles showcasing how the policy was being promoted through practical measures at the unit level.

A Chinese air force unit under the Eastern Theatre Command reused old decorative flags instead of buying new ones for holiday displays, according to a PLA Daily article on Tuesday. In addition, the unit started promoting double-sided printing, parts recycling and ride-sharing for similar destinations.

The money saved was instead spent on gym equipment for the unit, the article said.

According to another PLA Daily article published on Monday, a People’s Armed Police unit in central Henan province has salvaged screws, steel bars and other usable components from damaged equipment to manufacture training devices and cut procurement expenses.

The unit established recycling boxes in maintenance workshops and encouraged different squads to share spare parts, which soldiers used to build moving targets and modify training equipment.

And last week, the military’s official newspaper reported that an airforce unit had distributed second-hand briefcases to officers attending a recent training session instead of issuing new ones as in the past. Briefcases are among the items the unit has targeted for waste reduction.

Other belt-tightening measures include stricter controls on vehicle fuel consumption and maintenance costs by a unit under China’s Central Military Commission responsible for administrative logistics, PLA Daily reported on September 18.

The unit began using a digital vehicle management system to monitor fuel consumption and driving conditions, while reviewing fuel-use data monthly and recognising the most economical drivers every quarter, according to the report.

It also upgraded its maintenance facilities with 35 sets of equipment, enabling personnel to repair common vehicle issues themselves instead of relying on outside services, it added.

The Chinese military is carrying out the thrift campaign in military training, logistics and the management of armed equipment.