Doctrine Political Work

Forum on Strengthening the Military | Pave the Road with Youth, Let Ideals Shine

强军论坛丨用青春铺路让理想闪光

PLA Daily (解放军报) 13 July 2026

Summary

A PLA Daily opinion piece by author Sang Ye, published in the 'Forum on Strengthening the Military' column, calls on young PLA officers and soldiers to subordinate personal ambition to Party-directed military modernization goals, citing three unnamed junior personnel—an instructor, a staff officer specializing in joint operations command, and a missile unit commander—as model figures. The article is standard political work content tied to Xi Jinping's speech at the CCP's 105th founding anniversary and the 15th Five-Year Plan's 'Youth Achievement Action' initiative; its value is as a baseline record of how the PLA political apparatus frames the loyalty-capability tension for junior personnel during a modernization push, not as evidence of a new policy line. The repeated emphasis on resolving confusion between 'ideals versus reality' and 'greater self versus lesser self' documents an institutional acknowledgment that value pluralism and careerism among young officers are recognized internal friction points.

Translation

Pave the Road with Youth, Let Ideals Shine

■ Sang Ye

The era moves forward; youth rises upward.

Chairman Xi emphasized at the rally celebrating the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China: "Young people of China in the new era must unswervingly listen to the Party and follow the Party, establish lofty aspirations, courageously shoulder the responsibilities of the era, integrate personal pursuits into the cause of the Party and the country, seize every moment and not squander their prime years, run well the historical relay race on the new journey, pave the road with youth, and let ideals shine!" To implement the spirit of Chairman Xi's important address, young officers and soldiers of the military must wholeheartedly orient themselves toward the Party and be determined to serve the country, fulfill their original aspirations through shouldering responsibility and fulfill their mission through their youth, be aware of and bear heavy burdens, act well and achieve well, and make greater contributions to the cause of building a strong country and a strong military.

When youth is strong, the country is strong and the military is strong. Youth is the most active and vital force in the whole of society's strength—the pillars of national rejuvenation and the vanguard of building a strong country and a strong military. The future of a military rests on the choices of its youth and the dedication of their prime years. When young officers and soldiers have ideals, capabilities, and a sense of responsibility, the country has a future, the nation has hope, and the military has a tomorrow. If one is unwilling to pour out sweat and strive hard during the best years of one's life, nothing will be accomplished—only years will be wasted.

Striving forward on the new journey and rendering meritorious service in the new era is the dream and pursuit of many young officers and soldiers. Sun Jiangtao, an instructor at a certain teaching and research office, devoted himself to studying professional texts and repeatedly honed his practical combat skills, becoming a widely admired "soldier-trainer" (兵教头); Li Can, a staff officer at a certain bureau, conducted in-depth research on the mechanisms for victory in informatized local wars, proactively tackled difficult and key problems such as the employment of new-type combat forces, and devoted all his energy to studying and planning for war, becoming an "expert" (行家) in joint operations command; Xu Hongyang, a unit commander at a certain unit, assiduously studied missile knowledge, mastered proficiency in more than ten specialized operational and quality-control skills, and became an outstanding "sword-master" (驭剑人)…. They let their youth bloom in military barracks, turned ideals into reality, and became role models and benchmarks for young officers and soldiers to learn from and emulate.

Youth bears heavy responsibilities; through struggle, brilliant chapters are written. The outline of the 14th Five-Year Plan ("十五五" 规划纲要) for the first time establishes a dedicated section on "supporting youth development," proposing to carry out in depth the Youth Achievement Action (青春建功行动) and to support youth in competing to be the vanguard and main force in work across all fields and areas. For our military, during the "14th Five-Year" period, we must, on the basis of achieving the centenary goal of army-building (建军一百年奋斗目标), press forward toward the goal of basically realizing the modernization of national defense and the military. This provides young officers and soldiers with a broad stage to display themselves and render meritorious service in the barracks. Young officers and soldiers who fix their sights on the goal and are determined to strengthen the military, who consciously integrate personal pursuits into the cause of building a strong country and a strong military, who train for combat and prepare for war and sharpen their military skills and strengthen their capabilities at their posts, and who continuously demonstrate a new bearing and create new achievements, will be able to fulfill their mission without disgrace and live up to the trust placed in them, contribute the strength of youth on the new journey, and forge a brilliant military life in the great crucible of the barracks.

To pave the road with youth and let ideals shine, one must establish great aspirations and cultivate great virtue (当立大志、明大德). Youth gains greater depth through faith and greater height through aspiration. Today, as social values grow increasingly pluralistic and the pace of social life continues to accelerate, young officers and soldiers are prone to confusion regarding ideals versus reality, altruism versus self-interest, the greater self versus the lesser self (大我和小我), and similar tensions. The more this is the case, the more it is necessary to solidly build the foundation of faith, replenish the calcium of the spirit (补足精神之钙), steady the helm of thought, and always advance resolutely in the direction the Party points.

To pave the road with youth and let ideals shine, one must develop capabilities and emphasize action (当练本领、重行动). Responsibilities as weighty as mountains can only be borne by the capable. At present, scientific and technological innovation is advancing by leaps and bounds, military transformation is broad and profound, and new things are emerging in an endless stream—especially in the face of changes in warfare, changes in technology, and changes in adversaries. There is an even greater need for young officers and soldiers to step forward to the front lines of training for combat and the cutting edge of technological innovation, to weather storms, broaden their horizons, strengthen their sinews and bones, and grow in talent and ability, accelerating their growth and development and enhancing their warfighting capabilities.

The way young officers and soldiers look is the way the military's future looks. Youth harbors great ambitions; now is the right time to render meritorious service—if not now, when? Young officers and soldiers across the board must forge an unyielding character of loyalty, study and train diligently, temper a tough work style, and strive to achieve great things in an era of great promise, letting their youth bloom with brilliant flowers on the great journey of realizing the Chinese Dream and the dream of a strong military (中国梦强军梦).

Original Chinese

用青春铺路让理想闪光 ■桑叶时代向前，青春向上。习主席在庆祝中国共产党成立105周年大会上强调：“新时代中国青年要坚定不移听党话、跟党走，树立远大志向，勇担时代重任，把个人追求融入党和国家事业，只争朝夕、不负韶华，在新征程上跑好历史接力赛，用青春铺路、让理想闪光！”贯彻习主席这一重要讲话精神，军队青年官兵要一心向党、矢志报国，以担当践初心、用青春赴使命，知重负重、善作善成，为强国强军事业作出更大贡献。青年强，则国家强、军队强。青年是整个社会力量中最积极、最有生气的力量，是民族复兴的栋梁、强国强军的先锋。一支军队的未来，寄望于青年的选择、青春的奉献。青年官兵有理想、有本领、有担当，国家就有前途，民族就有希望，军队就有未来。如果在大好年华不愿挥洒汗水、拼搏奋斗，则什么事也干不成，只会蹉跎岁月。奋进新征程、建功新时代，是很多青年官兵的梦想和追求。某教研室教员孙江涛，潜心研读专业书籍，反复锤炼实战本领，成为令人佩服的“兵教头”；某局参谋李灿，深入研究信息化局部战争制胜机理，主动攻关新型作战力量运用等重难点问题，将全部精力投入谋战研战，成为联合作战指挥方面的“行家”；某部分队长徐红阳，刻苦钻研导弹知识，熟练掌握十余个专业操作把关技能，成为一名优秀的“驭剑人”……他们在军营绽放青春，把理想变为现实，成为青年官兵学习的榜样、效仿的标杆。青春担重任，奋斗谱华章。“十五五”规划纲要首次设置“支持青年发展”专节，提出要深入开展青春建功行动，支持青年在各领域各方面工作中争当排头兵和主力军。对我军来说，“十五五”时期，我们要在实现建军一百年奋斗目标的基础上，朝着基本实现国防和军队现代化的目标砥砺前行。这为广大青年官兵提供了展示自我、建功军营的广阔舞台。青年官兵锚定目标、矢志强军，自觉把个人追求融入强国强军事业，立足岗位练兵备战、精武强能，不断展示新风采、创造新业绩，就能做到不辱使命、不负重托，在新征程上贡献青春力量，在军营大熔炉里锻造精彩的军旅人生。用青春铺路、让理想闪光，当立大志、明大德。青春因为信仰而更有厚度、因为志向而更有高度。在社会价值日益多元、社会节奏不断加快的今天，青年官兵容易在理想和现实、利他和利己、大我和小我等方面产生困惑。越是如此，越需要筑牢信仰之基，补足精神之钙，把稳思想之舵，始终沿着党指引的方向坚定前行。用青春铺路、让理想闪光，当练本领、重行动。责重山岳，能者方可当之。当前，科技创新突飞猛进，军事变革广泛深刻，新生事物层出不穷，特别是面对战争之变、科技之变、对手之变，更加需要青年官兵挺身练兵备战一线、技术革新前沿，经风雨、见世面、壮筋骨、长才干，加快成长成才、提升打赢能力。青年官兵的样子，就是军队未来的样子。青年怀壮志，立功正当时，此时不搏更待何时。广大青年官兵要铸牢忠诚品格，刻苦学习训练，锤炼过硬作风，努力在大有可为的时代大有作为，让青春在实现中国梦强军梦的伟大征程上绽放绚丽之花。