The People's Liberation Army (PLA;人民解放军) is the military of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and was established on August 1, 1927 as the Chinese Workers and Peasants Red Army. August 1 is celebrated annually as PLA Day. The modern PLA consists of four professional service branches: the People's Liberation Army Ground Force, the People's Liberation Army Navy, the People's Liberation Army Air Force and the Second Artillery Corps. It is the world's largest military force, with a strength of approximately 2,285,000 personnel, about 0.18% of the country's population.