Internal Security Political Work

Soldiers Speak on Law and Discipline | Don't Forget to Keep the 'Secrecy String' Taut When Making Small Talk

官兵话法丨唠家常别忘绷紧“保密弦”

PLA Daily (解放军报) 13 June 2026

Summary

A Southern Theater Command Navy detachment soldier recounts how vendor activity outside the garrison perimeter prompted a unit-wide secrecy education session, the removal of outside vendors, construction of a dedicated parcel room with smart lockers, and tightened garrison management. The article documents a persistent OPSEC vulnerability at the garrison perimeter—routine commercial contact enabling pattern-of-life observation by outsiders—and records the institutional response: physical access controls, vendor removal, and formalized study of a 'secrecy-violating behaviors negative list.' This fits a recurring PLA effort to push counterintelligence awareness down to the enlisted level and convert it from posted policy into internalized discipline, with the specific physical countermeasures (parcel lockers, restricted vendor access) providing a baseline for how units operationalize that guidance at the detachment level.

Translation

Don't Forget to Keep the 'Secrecy String' Taut When Making Small Talk

■ Private Wang Jie, a certain detachment of the Southern Theater Command Navy

For a period of time, a number of street vendors appeared outside the garrison area, selling a wide variety of beverages that were quite popular among my comrades.

One day after training ended, I saw that everyone was somewhat exhausted, so I requested leave and prepared to go buy some drinks. The woman running the stall saw me coming and immediately waved me over warmly and struck up a conversation.

I selected a few bottles of beverages. As the woman briskly packed them into a bag for me, she started making small talk: "Young man, I've noticed that for the past few days big vehicles have been going out before dawn and not coming back until very late—where are you all going for training? That must be really tough."

Hearing this, I immediately became somewhat alert. The woman was probably just asking offhandedly, but I didn't dare respond. I just kept my head down, tidied up my things, and steered away from the topic. The woman kept on chatting, recommending new drinks at her stall. "Hey, that tall guy who used to come by all the time—I haven't seen him in a long while. Did he get discharged?" she asked curiously.

Two questions in a row made me feel uneasy. I paid quickly and walked away at a brisk pace.

Back in the dormitory, I told my comrades about what had just happened. It turned out everyone felt the same way I did: these vendors, operating around the perimeter of the garrison, were gradually able to get a feel for the unit's daily routines, training activities, and so on. In the course of conversation, what seemed like ordinary, offhand questions could be probes by individuals with ulterior motives.

Security and secrecy should involve everyone and be everyone's responsibility. Recognizing the seriousness of the problem, we proactively reported the relevant situation to the garrison security department, and the detachment leadership took it very seriously.

Shortly afterward, the detachment organized a secrecy education session for all personnel. The security officer analyzed a number of real cases and warned everyone that certain lawbreakers disguise themselves as vendors or passersby and use casual conversation to extract intelligence. We were reminded to remain vigilant at all times and keep the secrecy string taut. We studied carefully the negative list of secrecy-violating behaviors (保密行为负面清单), committing each disciplinary requirement to memory and integrating it into daily life. Everyone proactively identified risk points in their surroundings and shared their own experiences and reflections.

Afterward, the detachment further regularized garrison management, conducted outreach education with nearby vendors and persuaded them to leave, while also enriching and improving the inventory of the military camp's store to meet the shopping needs of officers and soldiers. To reduce the risk of leaks and disclosure, the detachment also constructed a dedicated parcel room and installed smart parcel lockers. Now, our everyday shopping and sending and receiving of parcels can all be handled within the garrison.

Secrecy has no small matters—everywhere is a line of defense. This experience gave me a much deeper understanding of security and secrecy. In the past, I often felt that secrecy was a slogan on the wall, a system on paper, something that concerned only personnel in key positions. Now I understand deeply that secrecy is a disciplinary consciousness etched into the bones of every soldier.

(Compiled by Li Canbin and People's Liberation Army Daily reporter Li Youzhi)

Original Chinese

唠家常别忘绷紧“保密弦” ■南部战区海军某大队列兵王杰曾经有一段时间，营区外出现了一批小摊贩，他们售卖的饮料种类丰富，颇受战友们青睐。一天训练结束，我看大家有些疲惫，于是请假后准备去买点饮料。摆摊的大姐见我走来，立马热情地招手搭话。我挑选了几瓶饮料，大姐一边麻利地帮我装袋，一边唠起了家常：“小兄弟，我看这几天天不亮就有大车出去，很晚才回来，这是去哪儿训练啊？真辛苦。” 听到这话，我顿时有些警觉。大姐可能只是随口一问，我却没敢接话，只是低头整理东西，避开了话题。大姐继续张罗，推荐着小摊上的新品饮料。“咦？之前常来的那个大个子好久没见了？是退伍了吗？”大姐又好奇地询问。接连两个问题，让我感到有些别扭，匆匆付完钱就快步离开了。回到宿舍后，我和战友聊起刚刚的经历。原来，大家都和我有一样的感受：这些摊贩在营区周边活动，能够逐渐摸清部队的作息规律、训练动态等。交流中，看似普通、零碎的随口一问，可能就是别有用心之人的试探。安全保密应人人参与、人人有责。意识到问题严重性，我们主动将相关情况反映给机关保卫部门，得到大队高度重视。不久后，大队组织全员开展保密教育。保卫干事剖析多起真实案例，告诫大家有些不法分子会伪装成商贩、路人，以拉家常的方式套取情报，提醒我们时刻保持警惕，绷紧保密之弦。我们认真学习保密行为负面清单，把一条条纪律要求刻进脑海、融入日常。大家主动挖掘身边风险点，分享自身经历和感悟心得。之后，大队进一步正规营区管理，对周边摊贩开展宣讲教育并劝离，同时，丰富完善军营超市货品，满足官兵购物需求。为减少失泄密隐患，大队还修建专属快递房、安装智能快递柜。如今，我们日常购物、收发快递都能在营区内完成。保密无小事，处处是防线。这段经历让我对安全保密有了更深刻理解。以前常觉得保密是墙上的标语、纸上的制度，是关键岗位人员的事。现在，我深深明白，保密是军人刻在骨子里的纪律自觉。（李灿彬、解放军报记者李由之整理）