In a grand display of military might, the Chinese government hosted an elaborate military parade in Beijing to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the of WWII in the Pacific. In an unexpected twist, President President Xi Jinping used the jubilant parade to announce that China would cut it’s military by 300,000 troops.

Shortly before the event began, Xi announced the troops cuts to the clamoring Chinese public and affirmed that the Chinese military was “loyally committed to its sacred duty of defending the security of the motherland and the peaceful life of the people, and loyally committed to the sacred duty of safeguarding world peace.”

After his remarks were over, 12,000 Chinese troops possibly facing unemployment began the parade.

The Chinese military is currently 2.3 million troops strong, but its aerial and naval capabilities are not up to par with other world powers. By cutting troop numbers, the Chinese military will probably allocate the vast budget spent on 300,000 active duty troops towards developing its military technology.