Dong Jun facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Admiral Dong Jun
董军
Dong in 2024
14th Minister of National Defense
Incumbent
Assumed office 29 December 2023
Premier	Li Qiang
CMC Chairman	Xi Jinping
Preceded by	Li Shangfu
9th Commander of the People's Liberation Army Navy
In office September 2021 – December 2023
Preceded by	Shen Jinlong
Succeeded by	Hu Zhongming
Personal details
Born	1961 (age 62–63) Yantai, Shandong, China
Political party	Chinese Communist Party
Alma mater	Dalian Naval Academy
Military service
Allegiance	People's Republic of China
Branch/service	People's Liberation Army Navy
Years of service	1979–present
Rank	Admiral
Chinese name
Simplified Chinese	董军
Traditional Chinese	董軍
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Dǒng Jūn

Dong Jun (Chinese: 董军; pinyin: Dǒng Jūn; born in 1961) is a Chinese admiral (shangjiang) of the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLA) who has served as the 14th Minister of National Defense since December 2023.

He served as the Commander of the People's Liberation Army Navy from September 2021 to December 2023. On 29 December 2023, he was appointed as the Minister of National Defense to replace Li Shangfu who was removed from office two months prior to his appointment in October 2023. He is the first Minister of National Defense from the PLA Navy.

Biography

In 1978, Dong was admitted to the Dalian Naval Academy of the Navy. After graduation, he began his service with the Navy in 1979. He has successively served as the head of the military training department of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Naval Command, the deputy chief of staff of the Beihai Fleet, and the commander of the Navy's 92269 unit.

In 2013, Dong was appointed deputy commander of East Sea Fleet, and held that office until December 2014, when he was appointed deputy chief of staff of the People's Liberation Army Navy. In January 2017, he was promoted to become deputy commander of Southern Theater Command. In March 2021, he became deputy commander of the People's Liberation Army Navy, rising to commander in August 2021. He was named as the commander of the PLA Navy in September 2021. He was succeeded as commander by Hu Zhongming in December 2023.

He was promoted to the rank of rear admiral (shaojiang) in July 2012, vice admiral (zhongjiang) in July 2018 and admiral (shangjiang) in September 2021.

Minister of National Defense

On 29 December 2023, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress appointed Dong as the Minister of National Defense, making Dong the first defense minister to come from a naval background. The fact the Admiral has a military, rather than a political background made his appointment surprising. Political scientist Wen-Ti Sung, the selection of Dong as the defense minister was possibly a sign of ongoing purges within the PLA Rocket Force and the Central Military Commission's Equipment Development Department.

On 31 January 2024, Dong met with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu via teleconference, his first international engagement. During the meeting, Dong stated the militaries of Russia and China should be bolstering mutual trust and expanding cooperation to “elevate the relations between the two militaries to a higher level.”

See also

In Spanish: Dong Jun para niños