Dong Jun who born in 1961 is a Chinese admiral of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). He was the Commander of the People’s Liberation Army Navy from September 2021 to December 2023.
On 29 December 2023, he was appointed as the 14th Minister of National Defense; he succeeded Li Shangfu who was removed from office in October 2023. Dong is the first defense minister from the PLAN.
Dong Jun’s Early Life
In 1978, Dong was admitted to the Dalian Naval Academy, and entered PLAN service in 1979 after graduation. He has been director of the PLAN Command Military Training Department, the deputy chief of staff of the North Sea Fleet, and commander of the 92269 unit.
Dong became deputy commander of the East Sea Fleet in 2013, the PLAN deputy chief of staff in December 2014, and then deputy commander of Southern Theater Command in January 2017. In March 2021, he became deputy commander of the PLAN, and then its commander in August 2021. He was named as the commander of the PLA Navy in September 2021.
He was promoted to the rank of rear admiral in July 2012, vice admiral in July 2018 and admiral in September 2021. He has been associated with National University of Defense Technology as an Adjunct Professor since 2013.
Dong Jun’s 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. He was the first defense minister with a naval background; one observer called it the “biggest surprise of 2023” for the PLA.
According to 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 (CMC)’s Equipment Development Department.
Unlike his predecessors, Dong is currently not a member of the CMC, and thus, he does not have the decision-making authority within the PLA.
In late November 2024, former and current U.S. officials who spoke to the Financial Times stated that Dong was under investigation due to suspicion of corruption.
In an enquiry about Dong at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China press conference on 27 November, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning called the reports regarding investigation on Dong as “groundless” and “shadow chasing”, while spokesperson of the Ministry of National Defence Wu Qian called the reports as “pure fabrications” at a press briefing and further stated that “the rumour-mongers are ill-intentioned” and “China expresses its strong dissatisfaction with such slanderous behaviour.”