From: imbibe@mindspring.com   
      
   Dong Jun (born 1961) is an admiral of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) who   
   has served as the 14th Minister of National Defense since Dec 2023. He has   
   gained fame among Chinese netizens owing to the characters in his name,   
   literally meaning "director    
   military."   
      
   He served as the Commander of the People's Liberation Army Navy from Sept   
   2021--Dec 2023. On 29 Dec 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 Oct    
   2023. He is the first Minister of National Defense from the PLA Navy.   
      
   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 Aug 2021. He was named   
   as the commander of the PLA Navy in Sept 2021. He was succeeded as commander   
   by Hu Zhongming in Dec    
   2023.   
      
   He was promoted to the rank of rear admiral in July 2012, vice admiral in July   
   2018 and admiral in September 2021.   
      
   On 29 Dec 2023, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of   
   appointed Dong as the Minister of National Defense, making Dong the first   
   defense minister to come from a naval background. 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's   
   Equipment Development Dept.   
      
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dong_Jun   
      
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    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)