the United States Navy in the western Pacific. Organization The PLAN is organized into several departments for purposes of command, control and coordination. Main operating forces are organized into fleets, each with its own headquarters, a commander (a Rear Admiral or Vice Admiral) and a Political Commisar. All PLAN headquarters are subordinate to the PLA Joint Staff Department and the Chairman of the Central Military Commission. Fleets The People's Liberation Army Navy is divided into three fleets: The North Sea Fleet, based in the Yellow Sea and headquartered in Qingdao, Shandong Province. The East Sea Fleet, based in the East China Sea and headquartered in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province. The South Sea Fleet, based in the South China Sea and headquartered in Zhanjiang, Guangdong Province. Each fleet consists of surface forces (destroyers, frigates, amphibious vessels etc.), submarine forces, coastal defence units, and aircraft. Branches PLAN Surface Force The People's Liberation Army Surface Force consists of all surface warships in service with the PLAN. They are organised into flotillas spread across the three main fleets. PLAN Submarine Force The People's Liberation Army Navy Submarine Force consists of all nuclear and diesel-electric submarines in service with the PLAN. They are organised into flotillas spread across the three main fleets. The PRC is the last of the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council which has not conducted an operational ballistic missile submarine patrol, because of institutional problems. It operates a fleet of 68 submarines. PLAN Coastal Defence Force The PLAN Coastal Defence Force is a land-based branch of the PLAN in charge of coastal defence, with a strength of around 25,000 personnel. Also known as the coastal defense troops, they serve to defend China's coastal and littoral areas from invasion via amphibious landings or air attacks. Between the 1950s and 1960s, the Coastal Defense Force was primarily assigned to repel any Kuomintang attempts to infiltrate, invade and harass the Chinese coastline. After the Sino-Soviet split and the abandonment of KMT's plans to recapture the Mainland, the Coastal Defense Force was focused on defending China's coast from a possible Soviet sea-borne invasion throughout the 1960s to 1980s. With the fall of the Soviet Union, the threat of an amphibious invasion of China has diminished and therefore the branch is often considered to no longer be a vital component of the PLAN, especially as the surface warships of the PLAN continue to improve in