The Political Work Department of the Central Military Commission () is the chief political organ under the Central Military Commission (CMC). It was created in January 2016 following the military reforms under CMC chairman Xi Jinping. Its predecessor was the General Political Department of the People's Liberation Army.
The department leads all political and cultural activities in the People's Liberation Army. Lieutenant General Chen Demin currently serves as the acting director. It's deputies are Wang Chengnan, Zhang Yutang and Xiong Zhaoyuan.
The Political Work Department's Liaison Department controls a United Front organization called the China Association for International Friendly Contact (CAIFC) that is active in overseas intelligence gathering and influence operations.
In November 2015 the General Political Department of the PLA was abolished and was replaced with the CMC Political Work Department as part of Chairman Xi Jinping's military reforms. Its role is to integrate the CCP and its ideology and propaganda into the People's Liberation Army. In January 2016, the Political Work Department became official.
After the 2015 reforms and the winding down of cultural units in 2018, the PWD structure was as follows: