Exercises Doctrine

Strong Military Forum | Tempering the Ability to Win Battles by Challenging the Limits

强军论坛｜在挑战极限中砥砺胜战之能

PLA Daily (解放军报) 16 June 2026

Summary

A PLA commentary published in the Strong Military Forum (强军论坛) column calls on commanders at every level to institutionalize 极限训练 (limit training)—pushing personnel and equipment to physiological and performance boundaries under complex, contested conditions—and frames this as the doctrinal path to producing 刀尖子 ('blade-tip fighters') capable of winning future high-intensity wars. The piece cites Xi Jinping's directive to train under complex and extreme conditions and references updated training outlines that formally added boundary conditions, interference conditions, and extreme equipment performance as required training parameters. This is standard political-military commentary; its value is as a record of how the PLA frames the gap between peacetime comfort and wartime readiness for mid-level commanders, not as evidence of a new training policy or changed force posture.

Translation

In the early days of summer, looking across the exercise and training grounds of the entire military, many units—with an eye toward the capability requirements for winning future wars—persist in training by challenging the limits and drilling toward the extreme, continuously expanding the boundaries of troop training and tapping the potential of equipment. This enlightens us: at every level, only by rigorously conducting limit training (极限训练), tempering the ability to win battles (胜战之能) by challenging the limits, crossing critical thresholds, breaking through limit values, training toward the extreme, and drilling out unique decisive skills, can we dare to draw the sword, seize the initiative, and win victory in confrontations with the enemy.

A blade is sharpened by grinding; steel is forged by hammering; the ability to fight and win must be built through training. Chairman Xi has emphasized the need to "vigorously pursue training under complex environments and vigorously pursue training under extreme conditions." Training outlines stress drilling skills to the extreme and using weapons to the extreme, and have added training in the extreme performance limits, boundary conditions, interference conditions, and operation and combat application of weapons and equipment under complex environments. The contest on the battlefield is a comprehensive contest of the physiological limits of officers and soldiers, the performance limits of equipment, and the limits of the combined combat power of personnel and equipment. Whoever can effectively bring the greatest potential into play and release the optimal effectiveness will tilt the scales of victory in their own favor.

"War is the realm of uncertainty." The suddenness, brutality, and destructiveness of modern warfare have increased unprecedentedly; the precision, concealment, and degree of intelligentization (智能化) of high-tech equipment have risen unprecedentedly; the elements of confrontation are more diverse, the situations of confrontation more complex, and the intensity of confrontation more fierce—all of which places higher demands on the ability of officers and soldiers to complete missions under extreme conditions. If in peacetime one does not train the skills to be "one ring ahead of the enemy in multiple engagements, one meter ahead in distance, one second ahead in speed, and one move ahead in winning," it will be difficult to respond with composure and hold a firm grip on victory in wartime. To win future wars, one must demand combat power from the limits of human capability and demand the odds of victory from the potential of equipment, constantly racing against the limits in peacetime training—competing for speed, accuracy, and precision.

Training troops has no ceiling; strengthening capability has no end. Limit training means taking greater risks, sweating more, and bearing heavier pressure—but it is also the only path to tempering the ability to win. Remaining content with the status quo in the "comfort zone" will never produce the consummate skill to defeat the enemy with a single move or seal the throat with a single sword; being unwilling to challenge oneself and break through limits will never produce the "blade-tip fighters" (刀尖子) who dare to fight and are certain to win, who dominate the battlefield. Commanders at every level must keep their eyes fixed on strong adversaries, emphasize high difficulty, high intensity, and full load, emphasize unknown conditions, contingency conditions, extreme conditions, and boundary conditions, and—in environments approximating actual combat—bring the potential of officers and soldiers to the extreme, release the performance of equipment to the extreme, and bring the effectiveness of the system-of-systems to the extreme. Only then can they accumulate the confidence to fight and win, and grasp the initiative to be decisive on the future battlefield.

Modern warfare is a contest of blood and fire, and even more a contest of science and technology. For training quality and effectiveness to achieve a major leap and for combat power to reach a qualitative breakthrough, courage, boldness, and investment of time alone are not enough; one must also emphasize science-and-technology-driven troop training (科技练兵) and science-and-technology-driven training enhancement (科技强训), continuously breaking through "bottlenecks," overcoming "difficulties," and breaching "forbidden zones." In organizing and conducting training, commanders at every level should emphasize science and pursue effectiveness, highlight refined, standardized, and professional training, explore "science and technology +" and "network +" training methods, allow science and technology to truly empower limit training, and accelerate the transformation of advanced science and technology into combat power.

The key to training troops lies in finding the right methods. Limit training is a process of continuous exploration and self-transcendence; it is not about being impractical or blindly piling on load, recklessly pursuing "high difficulty, danger, and challenge," but rather the organic unity of hard training, scientific training, and safe training. This requires that at every level, when conducting limit training, one must both study diligently and train hard, and also pursue science—following the law of progressing from easy to difficult and from simple to complex, putting effort into scientific organization of training, flexible regulation, and precise delivery of training, and guiding officers and soldiers to refine their "hands-on skills" (手中活) and strengthen their "killing techniques" (必杀技) through gradual progression and self-challenge, forging the force into a crack force of elite troops that, when called, will come; when they come, will fight; and when they fight, will win.

Original Chinese

初夏时节，放眼全军演训场，很多部队着眼打赢未来战争能力要求，坚持挑战极限训、盯着极致练，不断拓展练兵边界，挖掘装备潜能。这启示我们，各级只有扎实开展极限训练，在挑战极限中砥砺胜战之能，跨越临界点、突破极限值，冲着极限练、练出绝招来，才能在对敌较量中敢于亮剑、占据主动、赢得胜利。刀靠磨，钢靠锻，能打胜仗要靠练。习主席强调，要“大抓复杂环境下训练，大抓极限条件下训练”。训练大纲强调要把技能练到极致、武器用到极致，增加了武器装备极限性能、边界条件、干扰条件、复杂环境下操作和实战运用训练。战场上的较量，是官兵生理极限、装备性能极限、人与装备结合战斗力极限的综合较量，谁能有效发挥最大潜能、释放最佳效能，谁就能使打赢的天平向自己倾斜。 “战争是不确定性的王国。”现代战争的突发性、残酷性、破坏性空前增大，高新技术装备的精确性、隐蔽性和智能化程度空前提升，对抗要素更加多元，对抗情况更加复杂，对抗程度更加激烈，这对官兵极限状态下完成任务的能力要求更高。如果平时不练就“多敌一环、远敌一米、快敌一秒、胜敌一招”的本领，战时就难以从容应对、稳操胜券。打赢未来战争，就要向人的极限要战斗力、向装备潜能要胜算，在平时训练中不断盯着极限竞速度、拼准度、争精度。练兵不封顶，强能无止境。极限训练，意味着要冒更大的险、流更多的汗、承受更重的压力，但这也是淬炼打赢能力的必经之路。在“舒适区”里安于现状，练不成一招制敌、一剑封喉的绝技；不愿挑战自我、突破极限，练不出敢打必胜、制胜战场的“刀尖子”。各级指挥员只有紧盯强敌对手，突出高难度、高强度、满负荷，突出未知条件、临机条件、极限条件、边界条件，在近似实战的环境中，把官兵潜能激发到极致、把装备性能释放到极致、把体系效能发挥到极致，方能积蓄胜战打赢的底气，掌握决胜未来战场的主动权。现代战争是血与火的对抗，更是科技的较量。训练质量效益要有大的提升、战斗力达到质的飞跃，光有勇气、胆量和时间投入是不够的，还要注重科技练兵、科技强训，不断打破“瓶颈”、攻克“难关”、突破“禁区”。各级指挥员在组训施训中，应注重科学、讲求效益，突出精细化、规范化、专业化训练，探索“科技+”“网络+”训练方法，让科技真正为极限训练赋能，加快先进科技向战斗力转化。练兵之要，贵在得法。极限训练是不断探索、超越自我的过程，并不是不讲实际、盲目加码，一味挑战“高难险”，而是刻苦训练、科学训练、安全训练的有机统一。这就要求各级在开展极限训练时，既勤学苦练，又讲究科学，遵循由易到难、由简到繁的规律，在科学组训、灵活调控、精准施训上下功夫，引导官兵在循序渐进、挑战自我中把“手中活”练得更精、把“必杀技”练得更强，把部队锻造成召之即来、来之能战、战之必胜的精兵劲旅。