Exercises Nuclear Political Work

"Two Excellence, One Outstanding" Profiles | Party Committee of Detachment 44, Unit 96712: A Fortified Stronghold Forging a Battle-Hardened Iron Fist

“两优一先”风采录丨96712部队44分队党委：坚强堡垒锻造过硬铁拳

PLA Daily (解放军报) 26 July 2026

Summary

The party committee of Detachment 44, Unit 96712 — a missile unit identifiable by its armored launchers and vertical-launch procedures as a ground-based ballistic or cruise missile formation — was named a National Advanced Grassroots Party Organization on July 1, 2025, capping a run of honors that includes a collective first-class merit citation in late 2024 and the China Youth May Fourth Medal in April 2025. The article documents how the party committee restructured training authority after organizational reforms by requiring every committee member to qualify as a rated operator (等级号手) capable of manning a critical operator position (关键号位), and by embedding party cells at the vehicle level through a 'combat vehicle party cell' (战车党小组) model. The framing — particularly the closing warning against mistaking past results for battlefield readiness — points to an institutional effort to counter post-honor complacency, though the specific major missions referenced, including one begun 'at the beginning of last year,' are not identified.

Translation

National Advanced Grassroots Party Organization, Party Committee of Detachment 44, Unit 96712 — A Fortified Stronghold Forging a Battle-Hardened Iron Fist

■ PLA Daily Reporter Xu Xiaolong, Special Correspondent Li Ping

Detachment officers and soldiers rushing to their combat positions. Photo by PLA Daily Special Correspondent Liu Mingsong

In the height of summer, the mountains stand silent. With the order to "occupy positions" issued, a full-personnel, full-element, full-process assessment of Detachment 44, Unit 96712 got underway in tense fashion.

Deep in the dense forest, armored vehicles roared and missiles rose to vertical; the long sword struck its target with precision, and the detachment once again passed the rigorous assessment with outstanding results.

It is reported that since the detachment was established more than 50 years ago, it has undergone six organizational restructurings and four equipment transitions, and has successfully completed more than 30 major missions. In recent years, faced with challenges such as organizational restructuring and specialty reshaping, the detachment's party committee decisively broke down the original unit and specialty barriers, built an expert-type command hub, and established a training chain of "party committee leading, party branches spearheading, and backbone members driving."

When the reporter opened the detachment's technical files, it was found that every member of the party committee is a rated operator (等级号手) and each is capable of performing at a critical operator position (关键号位). During the equipment transition and retraining, the detachment commander proactively joined the first-launch element as commander, leading operators to draw combat power from systems integration; the detachment party committee secretary took the lead in climbing into armored vehicles and drilling operations… The party committee led the charge in tackling hard problems, and officers and soldiers united their strength to press forward. In recent years, the detachment has won first place four consecutive times in specialty skills competitions organized by higher authorities, and has been rated a first-class unit in military training six times.

At the beginning of last year, the detachment volunteered and was assigned a certain major mission. Faced with the reality of no prior experience to draw on and no reference materials available, the detachment party committee led officers and soldiers in repeatedly deducing procedures and researching and drilling tactics, conducting intensive and refined training on dozens of subjects including occupying positions and combat launches. After months of continuous hard work, they compiled and produced more than 70 standardized results, providing strong support for the force's completion of subsequent missions.

In response to the characteristic that "a single soldier, single vehicle, and single launcher constitute a combat unit," the detachment party committee innovated and implemented a "combat vehicle party cell (战车党小组)" model, integrating organizational life into combat positions. During one nighttime fire assault exercise, an unexpected situation arose as a missile was being raised to vertical. The commander and party cell leader, Squad Leader Xia, remained calm under pressure, immediately convened party cell members to assess the situation and took decisive action, ensuring the missile "ignited" on schedule.

In this detachment, new members of the party committee leadership upon taking their posts must sign a "Three Look, Three No-Mention (三看三不讲)" pledge: on matters of academic advancement and officer promotion, rank promotion, and assignment of backbone personnel, they commit to "look at ability and quality, not personal relationships; look at work performance, not seniority; look at the views of the rank and file, not taking turns in the seat of power." During one selection of primary operator positions, faced with debate over whether a young soldier could shoulder the responsibility, the detachment party committee members were unanimous: whoever can do it, goes! That soldier went on to play a notably effective role in a subsequent live-fire launch mission.

As the detachment achieved successive victories in major missions, honors followed one after another: it was awarded a collective first-class merit citation at the end of 2024; in April 2025 it received the "China Youth May Fourth Medal — Collective" award; and on July 1 of this year, the detachment party committee was commended as a "National Advanced Grassroots Party Organization."

"Completing a mission does not equal being comprehensively battle-ready; outstanding results do not equal winning on the battlefield." Detecting early signs of complacency and slackness among a small number of officers and soldiers, the detachment party committee made its position clear at the first opportunity: the more honors one carries, the more one must turn the blade inward. They promptly launched a themed ideological analysis activity, "Finding Gaps in the Face of Honor," reviewing representative battle cases, digging deep into shortcomings and weak points, rigorously examining conduct against wartime standards, and ensuring the detachment always maintains a state of bowstring fully drawn and strength concentrated on combat readiness.

In recent days, a new generation of operators has been drilling in the dense forest, training in tactics. Under the leadership of the detachment party committee, officers and soldiers are forging their swords with meticulous care and honing them with focused dedication, tempering a battle-hardened strategic iron fist of loyalty and commitment.

Original Chinese

全国先进基层党组织、96712部队44分队党委—— 坚强堡垒锻造过硬铁拳 ■解放军报记者徐小龙特约记者黎平该分队官兵奔向战位。解放军报特约记者刘明松摄盛夏时节，群山静默。随着“占领阵地”指令下达，96712部队44分队一场全员额、全要素、全流程考核紧张展开。密林深处，战车轰鸣、导弹起竖，长剑精准命中目标，分队再次以优异成绩通过严苛考核。据介绍，该分队组建50多年来，历经6次编制调整、4次装备换型，圆满完成30余项重大任务。近年来，面对编制重组、专业重塑等挑战，分队党委果断打破原有建制和专业壁垒，搭建专家型指挥中枢，构建“党委引领、支部攻坚、骨干带动”抓训链路。记者翻开该分队技术档案发现，党委委员人人是等级号手，个个能胜任关键号位。换型转训中，分队长主动编入首发单元担任指挥长，带着号手向体系融合要战斗力；分队党委书记率先钻战车、练操作……党委带头攻坚，官兵聚力冲锋。近年来，分队连续4次在上级组织的专业比武中夺魁，6次被上级评为军事训练一级单位。去年初，该分队主动请缨，受领某重大任务。面对无经验可循、无资料参考的实际，分队党委带领官兵反复推演流程、研练战法，围绕占领阵地、战斗发射等数十个课目专攻精练。经过数月连续奋战，他们梳理形成70余项规范成果，为部队完成后续任务提供有力支撑。针对“单兵单车单架即成作战单元”的特点，该分队党委创新推行“战车党小组”模式，将组织生活融入战位。一次夜间火力突击演练，导弹起竖突遇特情，指挥长、党小组组长夏班长临危不乱，当即召集党小组成员研判态势、果断处置，确保导弹按时“点火”。在该分队，党委班子新成员到任，要签订“三看三不讲”承诺书：考学提干、晋职晋衔、骨干配备等问题上，坚持做到“看能力素质，不讲感情亲疏；看工作实绩，不讲论资排辈；看群众意见，不讲轮流坐庄”。一次选拔主岗号手，面对年轻战士能否挑大梁的争议，分队党委委员意见一致：谁能干谁上！这名战士在后期实弹发射任务中作用发挥明显。随着该分队在重大任务中连战连捷，荣誉接踵而至：2024年底荣立集体一等功，2025年4月获颁“中国青年五四奖章集体”；今年7月1日，分队党委被表彰为“全国先进基层党组织”。 “任务完成不等于全面过硬，成绩突出不等于战场打赢。”察觉到少数官兵出现自满、懈怠等不良苗头，该分队党委第一时间亮明态度：越是荣誉在身，越要刀刃向内。他们随即开展“荣誉面前找差距”主题思想辨析，复盘典型战例、深挖短板弱项，对照实战标准严抓作风检视，确保分队始终保持弓满弦张、聚力备战的状态。连日来，新一代操作号手钻密林、练战法。官兵在分队党委的带领下，精心铸剑、潜心砺剑，锻造忠诚担当的过硬战略铁拳。