Exercises Political Work

Visiting the 71st Group Army "Linfen Brigade" Maritime Training Ground: Battalion Commander Takes Post at Observation Watch

探访第71集团军“临汾旅”海训场，营长登上观察哨

PLA Daily (解放军报) 28 July 2026

Summary

During summer maritime training at the 71st Group Army 'Linfen Brigade' training ground, battalion commander Sun stood personal watch at a scaffolding observation post erected within the training sea area — not on shore — and used the position to spot two soldiers drifting toward dangerous offshore waters during a formation swimming exercise, directing an assault boat to extract them. The brigade has since formalized a rule requiring all battalion and company officers to rotate through the post, and revised its training assessment criteria to weight 'latent achievements' (潜绩 — safety oversight work that produces no visible metrics) alongside measurable swimming performance. The article documents an institutional effort to correct a known distortion in PLA training evaluation: the tendency to reward quantifiable outputs while underweighting the safety and supervision work that enables training to proceed, framed through the brigade's historical connection to Xu Shiyou's 1958 grassroots inspection.

Translation

A Reporter Visits the 71st Group Army "Linfen Brigade" Maritime Training Ground——

Standing Watch at the Wave's Crest: Battalion Commander Takes Post at Observation Watch

■ Xiao Zhiyong, Hu Yuhang, PLA Daily Special Correspondent Song Shijie

Illustration: Fang Han

"Look — that's the maritime rescue observation post!"

During the dog days of summer, sea wind carrying waves of heat hit us in the face as the reporter entered the 71st Group Army "Linfen Brigade" maritime training ground. Following the direction pointed out by Tian, the political instructor of a certain battalion, a duty post constructed from scaffolding rose above the blue waves, immediately drawing the eye.

"This wave-crest post is the 'watchtower' of the maritime training ground." Instructor Tian explained that, unlike the fixed sentry booths along the shoreline, this post is erected directly within the training sea area and serves as an important barrier safeguarding the safety of officers and soldiers during near-sea training.

The maritime observation post is closely monitoring changes in wind and waves at sea. Photo by Wan Lixiang.

It is understood that during maritime training, observers along the shoreline primarily monitor the training activities of participating officers and soldiers close to shore, with each position sharing information in real time and immediately reporting dangerous situations; the maritime observation post is responsible for surveying the entire sea area from a distance, with a focus on detecting undercurrents, surge waves, and dangerous offshore waters. The different posts work in coordination, forming a "distant observation, close watch" (远观、近守) protective system that substantially raises the safety coefficient of training.

Accompanied by the roar of engines, the reporter and Instructor Tian boarded an assault boat and raced toward the wave-crest post on the scaffolding. The sun blazed overhead, the sea wind was hot and humid, and over the mere hundred-meter voyage the reporter's combat uniform was soaked through with sweat.

The assault boat pulled up alongside the post, where a sentry was holding binoculars and gazing out over the training sea area. Drawing closer, the reporter discovered — the sentry holding the post at that moment was none other than Sun, the battalion commander.

It was midday. Heat shimmered off the sea surface, and the scaffolding had been baked scorching hot by the blazing sun. The entire post had nothing beyond a layer of black sun-shade netting and two small folding stools. Battalion Commander Sun wore a life vest, had a walkie-talkie clipped to his waist, and had a megaphone and emergency rescue signal flags placed beside him. He stood with both feet planted firmly on the narrow platform, binoculars raised, sweeping the sea surface without pause.

"Today it was my turn to stand watch at the observation post." Catching sight of the reporter, Battalion Commander Sun lowered his binoculars and raised a hand to wipe the sweat from his face. "In previous years, standing watch on the shore, I always felt I had the maritime training procedures figured out. Only when you actually stand up on the scaffolding do you realize how fast the wind, waves, and undercurrents change at sea — many risk points simply cannot be detected unless you are watching with your own eyes."

The maritime observation post may look crude, but its role must not be underestimated. Battalion Commander Sun told the reporter that just a few days earlier, they had organized a long-distance formation swimming exercise. When the formation swam into an open stretch of sea, large waves suddenly rose on the surface, disrupting the formation's forward rhythm. In the surge, several soldiers were scattered by the piling waves, and the gap between the front and rear of the formation grew wider and wider.

From the observation post, Battalion Commander Sun swept the sea area with his binoculars and spotted two soldiers with relatively low physical strength who had been pushed away from the formation by the large waves and were drifting toward dangerous waters on the outer side. Battalion Commander Sun immediately called out to the shore observers via walkie-talkie, and the assault boat standing by on the water promptly moved forward at speed. In just a few minutes, the two soldiers were pulled aboard the assault boat, and the dangerous situation was averted in time.

"Only by being able to see the risks and guard against hidden dangers can we let soldiers devote themselves wholeheartedly to training and war preparation." Battalion Commander Sun told the reporter that for this year's maritime training, they had established a rule: all battalion and company officers must take turns standing watch at the maritime observation post, handling emergencies on the spot, and serving as the last line of defense for training safety. Speaking of the purpose behind having officers stand watch at the maritime observation post, Instructor Tian recounted a story to the reporter——

In 1958, Chairman Mao issued a call for leading cadres to go down to the companies to serve as soldiers and undergo tempering. Xu Shiyou, then Commander of the Nanjing Military Region, volunteered and came to the Sixth Company of the "Linfen Brigade" to serve as an ordinary soldier. Over more than 30 days, he ate, lived, and stood watch together with the soldiers, sincerely listening to the soldiers' voices and practically resolving the soldiers' difficulties.

"General Xu Shiyou's spirit of being pragmatic for the soldiers and working hard for combat has long been deeply rooted in the blood of the 'Linfen Brigade's' officers and soldiers, continuously recalibrating the value coordinates for generation after generation of officers who lead troops." Instructor Tian said that before this year's maritime training, the staff organs had originally drafted a set of assessment and scoring criteria, using maritime swimming distance and duration of training participation as the core scoring indicators. When Battalion Commander Sun saw the plan, he proactively put forward suggestions for revision: "How far one swam and how long one trained are 'visible achievements' (显绩) that can be seen; keeping a close eye on undercurrents and surge waves and holding the safety bottom line are 'latent achievements' (潜绩) that underpin training safety — both must be grasped together."

Subsequently, the battalion Party committee leadership took turns ascending the maritime observation post, recording more than ten safety blind spots on the steel frame baked by the blazing sun. Drawing on this clearly itemized risk list, the higher-level staff organs revised the assessment standards and swimming routes, establishing the training orientation that "without safety there are no results" (没有安全就没有成绩).

"Back then, General Xu Shiyou stood guard and performed duty as a soldier in order to get a clear picture of the actual conditions at the grassroots level; today, we stand at the maritime observation post in order to resolutely put the safety of soldiers first." Instructor Tian reflected.

Leafing through Instructor Tian's personal notebook, the reporter found that it recorded not only training progress, but also patterns of change in sea conditions, physical fitness shortcomings of new recruits, and suggestions for optimizing emergency response procedures.

Sea wind in our faces, summer heat shimmering all around. In the distance, the maritime training ground — another round of maritime training begins under the blazing sun……

A Devoted Watch from the Post

■ Song Shijie

Standing at the maritime observation post in that moment, I felt as though I had come to understand what "latent achievements" (潜绩) in training and war preparation truly means, and what the original aspiration of those who lead troops truly is.

Shimmering heat, scaffolding baked by the blazing sun, unrelenting scorching sea wind — this temporary post, which looks somewhat crude, bears witness to the devoted watch that officers who lead troops keep over their soldiers.

Stationed at the wave-crest post, they keep constant watch over the rapidly changing complex sea conditions and the subtle shifts in officers' and soldiers' physical condition. In their vigilant gaze, the reporter sees the importance that officers who lead troops place on training safety and their attitude of responsibility toward soldiers. From company commanders and political instructors to battalion commanders and political instructors, the Party member officers of this battalion take turns standing watch and observing from the front, treating every sweep of the binoculars as an assessment of a real-combat dangerous situation, and turning every watch duty into a vivid practice of caring for and serving soldiers.

More than 60 years ago, General Xu Shiyou went down to the company, took root in the unit, and stood guard and performed duty in the posture of an ordinary soldier, experiencing and understanding the soldiers' situation firsthand. Today, officers who lead troops in the new era stand facing the wind and keep watch amid the waves, recalibrating their achievement coordinates (政绩坐标) between sea and sky. A single maritime observation post carries forward a work style of pragmatic action, manifests a deep affection for soldiers, and tempers the spiritual character (精神底色) of officers and soldiers who advance toward war.

Original Chinese

记者探访第71集团军“临汾旅”海训场—— 浪尖值守：营长登上观察哨 ■肖志勇胡宇航解放军报特约记者宋世杰插图：方汉 “看，那就是海上救生观察哨！” 三伏时节，海风裹挟着热浪扑面而来，记者走进第71集团军“临汾旅”海训场。顺着某营田教导员手指的方向望去，一座用脚手架搭建的执勤哨点耸立于碧波之上，格外引人注目。 “这个浪尖哨位是海训场的‘瞭望台’。”田教导员介绍，和岸滩固定岗亭不同，这个哨位直接架设在训练海域中，是守护官兵濒海训练安全的重要屏障。海上观察哨正在密切关注海上风浪变化。万里想摄据了解，海训过程中，岸滩沿线观察员主要关注近岸参训官兵训练情况，各点位实时互通信息、即时上报险情；海上观察哨则负责远眺整片海域，重点排查暗流、浪涌、离岸危险水域。不同哨位相互配合，构成了一套“远观、近守”的防护体系，大幅提升训练安全系数。伴随着马达的轰鸣声，记者与田教导员搭乘冲锋舟，朝着那座脚手架上的浪尖哨位疾驰而去。烈日当空，海风湿热，短短百米航程，记者的作训服已被汗水浸透。冲锋舟停靠在哨位旁边，一名哨兵正手拿望远镜向训练海域眺望。记者走近后发现——此刻坚守哨位的哨兵，竟是该营孙营长。时值正午，海面热气蒸腾，脚手架被烈日晒得滚烫。整个哨位除了一层黑色遮阳网和两个小马扎，再没有多余陈设。孙营长身着救生衣，腰间别着对讲机，身旁还放着喇叭和应急救生信号旗。他双脚稳稳站立在狭小平台，手中举着望远镜，一刻不停地扫视着海面。 “今天轮到我上观察哨。”看到记者，孙营长放下望远镜，抬手抹了把脸上的汗水，“往年守在岸滩，总觉得已经把海训流程摸清了。真正站上脚手架才发现，海面风浪和暗流变化太快，很多风险点不亲眼盯着根本发现不了。” 海上观察哨看着简陋，作用可不容小觑。孙营长告诉记者，就在几天前，他们组织长距离编队游泳训练。编队游至一处开阔海域时，海面骤然掀起大浪，队伍前进节奏被打乱。浪潮中，几名战士被层层叠叠的浪头冲散，编队前后间隔越拉越大。观察哨里，孙营长拿着望远镜扫视海域发现，两名体力较弱的战士被大浪推离编队，正向外侧危险海域漂移。孙营长第一时间通过对讲机向岸边观察员喊话，海面待命冲锋舟随即快速前出。不过短短几分钟，两名战士便被拉上冲锋舟，及时规避了险情。 “看得见风险、防得住隐患，才能让战士们安心投身练兵备战。”孙营长告诉记者，今年海训，他们定下规矩，全体营连干部都要轮流到海上观察哨值守，现场处置突发情况，为训练安全托底。谈起带兵人值守海上观察哨的用意，田教导员向记者讲述了一个故事—— 1958年，毛主席发出领导干部下连当兵锻炼的号召，时任南京军区司令员许世友主动请缨，以普通一兵身份来到“临汾旅”六连当兵锻炼。30余天里，他与战士同吃同住同站哨，真心听兵声、务实解兵难。 “许世友将军务实为兵、实干为战的精神，早已深植于‘临汾旅’官兵血脉，为一茬茬带兵人不断校准价值坐标。”田教导员说，今年海训前，机关原本拟定了一套考核评分细则，把海上游泳距离、参训时长作为核心打分指标。孙营长看到方案后，主动提出修改意见：“游了多远、训了多久，是看得见的‘显绩’；盯紧暗流浪涌、守住安全底线，则是为训练安全托底的‘潜绩’，二者必须一起抓。” 随后，该营党委班子轮流登上海上观察哨，在烈日炙烤的钢架上记录下10余处安全盲区。借助这份条目清晰的风险清单，上级机关重新修订了考核标准与游泳路线，树立起“没有安全就没有成绩”的训练导向。 “当年，许世友将军以士兵身份站岗执勤，为的是摸清基层实情；今天，我们站上海上观察哨，就是要坚持把战士安危放在第一位。”田教导员感慨道。记者翻看田教导员的随身笔记看到，里面不仅登记了训练进度，还记录着海况变化规律、新兵体能短板和应急处置优化建议。海风扑面，暑气蒸腾。远处的海训场，又一轮海训在烈日下拉开帷幕…… 哨位上的深情守望 ■宋世杰真正站在海上观察哨的那一刻，我仿佛读懂了何为练兵备战的“潜绩”，何为带兵人的初心。蒸腾的热浪、被烈日炙烤的钢架、连绵的炽热海风……这座看起来有些简陋的临时哨位，见证了带兵人对士兵的深情守望。置身浪尖哨位，他们时刻关注瞬息万变的复杂海况、官兵体能的细微变化。在他们警惕的目光里，记者看到的是带兵人对训练安全的重视、对战士负责的态度。从连长、指导员到营长、教导员，该营党员干部轮流值守、靠前观察，把每一次瞭望都当作真实战斗的险情研判，把每一次值守都变成爱兵为兵的生动实践。 60多年前，许世友将军下连当兵、扎根连队，以普通一兵的姿态站岗执勤、体察兵情。今天，新时代的带兵人迎风而立、踏浪守望，在海天之间校准政绩坐标。一座海上观察哨，传承的是实干作风，彰显的是爱兵深情，淬炼的是官兵向战而行的精神底色。