Doctrine Political Work

Strong Military Forum | The Bond of 'Sharing the Same Robe' Must Not Change

强军论坛｜“与子同袍”的感情不能变

PLA Daily (解放军报) 15 June 2026

Summary

A PLA political work commentary published in the Strong Military Forum promotes the practice of officers rotating their bedrolls into squad and platoon bays—citing a named battalion political instructor who sustained this over three years—as a method for closing the officer-soldier distance and building combat-relevant trust. The article documents a persistent institutional problem: that officer-soldier cohesion in grassroots units requires deliberate structural intervention rather than emerging organically, and that the gap between officers and enlisted personnel is wide enough to warrant named campaigns ('Five Togethers,' 'Three Mutualities') and editorial pressure to normalize them. This fits a recurring pattern in PLA political work media of using exemplar figures to push compliance with cohesion directives that units are not consistently implementing on their own.

Translation

The Bond of 'Sharing the Same Robe' Must Not Change

■ Liu Weijiao

Chairman Xi has repeatedly emphasized the need to "consolidate and develop internal relations characterized by unity, friendship, harmony, and purity." Not long ago, a report about a political instructor (教导员) of a certain battalion in an Army brigade who, over more than three years in his post, persisted in "rotating his quarters" and moving his bedroll into squads and platoons sparked widespread discussion in grassroots units. This political instructor's approach continuously deepened the comradeship of "sharing the same robe" through "officers living in squads and backbone personnel embedded in platoons" (干部住班、骨干蹲排), effectively closing the distance between officers and soldiers and promoting ideological resonance, spiritual communion, and behavioral integration between them.

"Who says we have no garments? We share the same robe." Sound officer-soldier relations are a distinctive political advantage and fine tradition of our military, a prominent marker that sets us apart from other armies, and an important guarantee for overcoming every difficulty and obstacle. Turning the pages of our military's history, stories of comradeship—forged in life and death, utterly genuine and pure—shine like stars: on the Long March, a quartermaster director in charge of clothing and equipment chose to endure the cold himself rather than give up his cotton coat to the soldiers, "leaving the hope of survival to his comrades"; during the War of Liberation, the "Life-and-Death Together Company" (生死在一起连) was ordered to cover the withdrawal of the main force and, with every officer and soldier in the company, held off an enemy dozens of times their number for more than 80 days without a single soldier falling behind; in the new era, on a life-threatening minefield, facing danger, Du Fuguo told his comrade to fall back and resolutely chose "let me do it" (让我来)… From the revolutionary war years to the period of peaceful construction, it is precisely this blood-deep bond of "sharing the same robe" that has cohered into the firm bedrock of combat power generation and forged the spiritual cipher of our military's unbroken record of victory.

"Comrades, comrades, this intimate form of address, this lofty friendship, binds us into a collective of steel…" The song "Song of Comrades" (战友之歌) gives voice to the depth of comradeship. Only when we are as close as brothers in peacetime can we depend on each other through life and death in wartime; only when we build the "trust index" in peacetime can we raise the "victory index" in wartime. Times change, circumstances change, but the bond of "sharing the same robe" must not change. Modern warfare is the confrontation of system against system, the contest of network against network; it demands even greater tacit coordination, close cooperation, and deep mutual trust. The requirements for revolutionary comradeship between fellow soldiers have not diminished—on the contrary, they carry a higher standard and a deeper meaning.

The power of emotion moves heaven and earth; it is itself a form of combat power. Revolutionary friendship does not arise naturally on its own—the comradeship of "sharing the same robe" must be actively cultivated and tended with care. The forging of emotional bonds lies not in slogans but in action; not in form but in sincerity. The fine tradition of knowing and loving one's soldiers and leading troops through genuine feeling will never become outdated; institutional vehicles such as the "Five Togethers" (五同) and "Three Mutualities" (三互) will always retain their vitality. To build the "heart-connecting bridge" of officer-soldier communication and enter the soldiers' "circle of friends," one must know soldiers with a true heart, love soldiers with genuine feeling, and lead soldiers with real effort, thereby forming a united force of mutual dependence through life and death and solidarity in the same boat.

"Comrade" (战友) and "friend" (朋友) differ by a single character: "战" (battle). Comrades become friends through battle. Building the comradeship of "sharing the same robe" in the new era requires, above all, consolidation and elevation through combat-realistic training (实战化训练). Soldiers are born to win in battle. Improving combat capability and winning future wars—the shared objective of officers and soldiers alike—cannot be achieved without mutual trust and tacit cooperation. Only by sharing hardship together on the training ground and charging forward shoulder to shoulder in missions can one truly build the life-and-death trust of "entrusting your back to your comrade."

Deep comradeship depends not only on the "mutual pursuit" (双向奔赴) of officers and soldiers but also requires institutional support and continuity. As early as 1937, Comrade Mao Zedong articulated the three principles of our military's political work, one of which was officer-soldier unity (官兵一致), with its emphasis on "practicing a life of shared hardship and shared fortune." On the new journey, Party organizations and troop leaders at all levels should do everything possible to open channels for expressing grievances and improve institutional mechanisms, transforming close officer-soldier relations from "a matter of one moment and one occasion" into "a normalized and enduring state of affairs." In doing so, they will surely ensure that the comradeship of "sharing the same robe" is passed down from generation to generation and never fades.

Original Chinese

“与子同袍”的感情不能变 ■刘维姣习主席多次强调，要“巩固和发展团结、友爱、和谐、纯洁的内部关系”。前不久，陆军某旅某营教导员任职3年多，坚持“流动住宿”、打起背包进班排的报道，在基层部队引发热议。这名教导员的做法让“与子同袍”的战友情谊在“干部住班、骨干蹲排”中不断深化，有效拉近了官兵关系，促进了官兵思想共振、心灵共鸣、言行共融。 “岂曰无衣？与子同袍。”良好的官兵关系是我军特有的政治优势和优良传统，是区别于其他军队的显著标志，也是战胜一切艰难险阻的重要保障。翻开我军历史，生死相依、至真至纯的战友故事，如星光般灿烂：长征途中，管被装的军需处长宁可自己挨冻，也要把棉衣让给战士，“把生的希望留给战友”；解放战争时期，“生死在一起连”奉命掩护主力部队撤退，全连官兵与数十倍于己的敌人周旋80余天，没有一名战士掉队；新时代，在生死雷场上，面对危险，杜富国让战友退后，果断选择“让我来”……从革命战争年代到和平建设时期，正是这种“与子同袍”的血脉深情，凝聚成战斗力生成的坚强基石，铸就了我军无往不胜的精神密码。 “战友战友，这亲切的称呼，这崇高的友谊，把我们结成一个钢铁集体……”一首《战友之歌》，唱出了战友情深。平时亲如兄弟，战时才能生死相依；平时增进“信任指数”，战时才能提升“打赢指数”。时代在变、环境在变，但“与子同袍”的感情不能变。现代战争，是体系与体系的对抗、系统与系统的较量，更加需要默契配合、密切协同、高度信任，战友之间革命情谊的要求非但没有降低，反而有了更高的标准、更深的内涵。情感的力量撼天动地，本身就是一种战斗力。革命友谊不是自然而然产生的，“与子同袍”的战友情谊必须主动培育、用心呵护。情感的熔铸，不在口号，而在行动；不在形式，而在真心。知兵爱兵、以情带兵的优良传统永远不会过时，“五同”“三互”等制度载体永远有生命力。想搭起官兵交流的“连心桥”、融入战士的“朋友圈”，就要知兵用真心、爱兵动真情、带兵下真功，从而形成生死相依、同舟共济的合力。 “战友”与“朋友”，区别在于一个“战”字。战友战友，因“战”成友。新时代构建“与子同袍”的战友情谊，尤须在实战化训练中巩固升华。军人生来为战胜。作为官兵的共同目标，提升作战能力、赢得未来战争，离不开相互信任、默契协作。只有在训练场上同甘共苦、在任务中并肩冲锋，才能真正构建起“把后背交给战友”的生死信赖。深厚的战友情谊，不仅要依靠官兵的“双向奔赴”，更需要制度来支撑和延续。早在1937年，毛泽东同志就概括提出了我军政治工作三大原则，其中一条就是官兵一致，强调“实行同甘共苦的生活”。新征程上，各级党组织和带兵人应想方设法畅通诉求渠道、完善制度机制，让密切官兵关系从“一时一事”变成“常态长效”，就一定能让“与子同袍”的战友情谊代代相传、永不褪色。