Modernization Doctrine Political Work

PLA Daily Commentator: Drive Decisive Progress Toward the Basic Realization of National Defense and Military Modernization

解放军报评论员：推动基本实现国防和军队现代化取得决定性进展

PLA Daily (解放军报) 1 August 2026

Summary

On the eve of Army Day, the CPC Political Bureau held its 27th collective study session focused on high-quality advancement of national defense and military modernization, with Xi Jinping delivering the keynote and framing the 15th Five-Year Plan period as the critical window for driving toward the 2035 basic-modernization goal. The commentary's 'three aspects' — political army-building (政治建军) as founding principle, combat effectiveness as the sole evaluation standard, and consolidation of the integrated national strategic system and capabilities (一体化国家战略体系和能力) as the only path — document the current institutional priority hierarchy the PLA is being directed to internalize. The explicit call to deepen anti-corruption oversight over major projects, enforce quality and integrity baselines (质量托底、能力托底、廉洁托底), and strengthen combat-realistic evaluation (实战化检验评估) points to persistent leadership concern that procurement and training outputs are not meeting the standards the modernization timeline requires.

Translation

— Studying and Implementing General Secretary Xi's Important Speech at the 27th Collective Study Session of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee

On the eve of Army Day (August 1st), the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee held its 27th collective study session on high-quality advancement of national defense and military modernization. General Secretary Xi Jinping delivered an important speech while presiding over the session and, on behalf of the Party Central Committee and the Central Military Commission, extended holiday congratulations to all commanders and fighters of the People's Liberation Army, officers and soldiers of the People's Armed Police Force, military civilian personnel, reserve personnel, and militia.

General Secretary Xi's important speech, standing at the height of the era's development and the strategic overall situation, profoundly expounded on the great significance of high-quality advancement of national defense and military modernization, comprehensively summarized the great achievements in national defense and military modernization construction since the new era, and scientifically answered a series of major questions of directional, fundamental, and overarching importance regarding the high-quality advancement of national defense and military modernization. It will assuredly further inspire and motivate all officers and soldiers of the entire military to adopt a posture of striving and a fresh appearance, to work together to overcome difficulties and forge ahead, to drive decisive progress toward the basic realization of national defense and military modernization, and to inscribe new glory on the magnificent canvas of strengthening and revitalizing the military.

A strong nation must have a strong military; only with a strong military can the nation be secure. High-quality advancement of national defense and military modernization is an inherent requirement of advancing Chinese-style modernization and a goal our Party has pursued unremittingly. Military affairs are a matter of supreme importance to the state. National defense and military modernization is a modernization that provides strategic support for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation; it is a modernization characterized by the integrated development of mechanization, informatization, and intelligentization (机械化信息化智能化融合发展); and it is a modernization that permanently preserves the nature and purpose (性质宗旨) of the people's military. Practice has proven that the "strength" of the capability to strengthen the military and win wars depends on the "high" quality of development. High-quality development is the hard truth (硬道理) of the new era. Development without quality and construction without effectiveness are useless no matter how much is done—some of it even becomes a burden and encumbrance on the troops. Only by implementing the new development philosophy, fulfilling the requirements of high-quality development, adhering to a path of high-efficiency, low-cost, and sustainable development, and further emancipating and developing combat effectiveness and emancipating and enhancing military vitality, can we drive quality transformation (质量变革), efficiency transformation (效能变革), and dynamic transformation (动力变革) in our military's construction and development, achieve the shift from the accumulation of "quantity" to the elevation of "quality," and open up a new landscape for national defense and military modernization.

Time is the most faithful recorder and the greatest writer. Since the 18th National Congress of the Party, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, with an eye toward realizing the Chinese Dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and centered on achieving the Party's goal of military strengthening in the new era, has mapped out the great cause of military strengthening, charted the course of the military-strengthening journey, and led national defense and military construction to achieve historic accomplishments and undergo historic transformations, rescuing, reshaping, and developing the people's military in the new era. Under the firm leadership of General Secretary Xi and the scientific guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Strengthening the Military (习近平强军思想), this people's military led by the Party has held fast to its roots and soul (根和魂), has moved forward at a pace of rapid development, has seized the initiative in advancing toward world-class status, and has always been a heroic force in which the Party and the people can place complete trust.

The cause of military strengthening is a great cause of continuous struggle. During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, our military must, building on the achievement of the centenary goal of army building (建军一百年奋斗目标), forge ahead with determination toward the goal of basically realizing national defense and military modernization. This places new and higher demands on the high-quality advancement of national defense and military modernization. We must clearly recognize that national defense and military modernization construction is a systems engineering project with a multitude of threads and a broad scope of involvement; we must identify strategic priorities and use breakthroughs at key points to drive overall elevation. In this important speech, General Secretary Xi emphasized: "Political army-building (政治建军) is the founding principle of the people's military and concerns the direction and fundamental character (底色) of national defense and military modernization construction"; "the fundamental orientation and standard of evaluation for high-quality advancement of national defense and military modernization is always and invariably combat effectiveness"; and "consolidating and improving the integrated national strategic system and capabilities (一体化国家战略体系和能力) is the only path for high-quality advancement of national defense and military modernization." These "three aspects" are closely linked and mutually interconnected. They are the strategic priorities of high-quality advancement of national defense and military modernization construction, as well as the fundamental guidelines, and will assuredly powerfully guide us to strengthen political leadership, deepen innovative development, continuously advance national defense and military modernization, and accelerate the building of the people's military into a world-class military.

The great trend of history surges forward irresistibly; the process of military strengthening cannot be stopped. High-quality advancement of national defense and military modernization brooks no delay and is precisely the right moment. On the new journey, the entire military must adhere to the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, thoroughly implement Xi Jinping Thought on Strengthening the Military, uphold and strengthen the Party's absolute leadership over the military, comprehensively implement the new-era strategy of political army-building (政治建军方略), strengthen theoretical arming (理论武装), deepen ideological rectification (思想整风), solidly lay the ideological foundation for officers and soldiers to heed the Party's words and follow the Party's lead, and ensure that the barrel of the gun (枪杆子) forever obeys the Party's command. We must deepen the anti-corruption struggle, improve the oversight system for major projects, and ensure that all construction meets baseline standards of quality, capability, and integrity (质量托底、能力托底、廉洁托底). We must accelerate the effective supply of advanced combat capabilities, strengthen the military application of unmanned intelligent technology, deepen the construction and application of the cyber-information system (网络信息体系), and progressively build an intelligentized military system (智能化军事体系). We must strengthen the integration of operational capability systems, conduct rigorous combat-realistic evaluation and assessment (实战化检验评估), solidly advance combat training and war preparedness (练兵备战), and effectively safeguard national sovereignty, security, and development interests. We must strengthen military governance, combine the implementation of cross-military-civilian reform tasks (跨军地改革), optimize institutional mechanisms, improve policies and systems, and form a cross-military-civilian work pattern (跨军地工作格局) in which each fulfills its responsibilities, cooperates closely, and operates in a standardized and orderly manner. We must foster throughout society a strong atmosphere of caring about national defense, loving national defense, building national defense, and defending national defense; gather the mighty force (磅礴力量) for strengthening and revitalizing the military; and unite hearts and efforts to drive national defense and military modernization forward steadily and sustainably, providing strong strategic support for comprehensively advancing the great cause of national rejuvenation and the building of a strong nation through Chinese-style modernization.

Original Chinese

——学习贯彻习主席在中共中央政治局第二十七次集体学习时的重要讲话八一建军节前夕，中共中央政治局就高质量推进国防和军队现代化进行第二十七次集体学习，习主席在主持学习时发表重要讲话，并代表党中央和中央军委，向全体人民解放军指战员、武警部队官兵、军队文职人员、预备役人员和民兵致以节日的祝贺。习主席的重要讲话，站在时代发展和战略全局的高度，深刻阐述了高质量推进国防和军队现代化的重大意义，全面总结了新时代以来国防和军队现代化建设取得的伟大成就，科学回答了高质量推进国防和军队现代化一系列带方向性、根本性、全局性的重大问题，必将进一步感召和激励全军官兵以奋斗姿态、崭新面貌，勠力攻坚、奋楫争先，推动基本实现国防和军队现代化取得决定性进展，在强军兴军的恢宏画卷上书写新的荣光。强国必须强军，军强才能国安。高质量推进国防和军队现代化，是推进中国式现代化的应有之义，是我们党孜孜以求的目标。兵者，国之大事。国防和军队现代化，是为实现中华民族伟大复兴提供战略支撑的现代化，是机械化信息化智能化融合发展的现代化，是永葆人民军队性质宗旨本色的现代化。实践证明，强军胜战能力之“强”，依托于发展质量之“高”。高质量发展是新时代的硬道理，没有质量的发展、缺少效益的建设，搞得再多也不管用，有些甚至成为部队的包袱和累赘。只有贯彻新发展理念，落实高质量发展要求，坚持走高效益、低成本、可持续发展路子，进一步解放和发展战斗力、解放和增强军队活力，才能推动我军建设发展质量变革、效能变革、动力变革，实现由“量”的增值转向“质”的提升，开创国防和军队现代化新局面。时间是最忠实的记录者，也是最伟大的书写者。党的十八大以来，以习近平同志为核心的党中央，着眼于实现中华民族伟大复兴的中国梦，围绕实现党在新时代的强军目标，擘画强军伟业、领航强军征程，引领国防和军队建设取得历史性成就、发生历史性变革，在新时代挽救、重塑、发展了人民军队。在习主席坚强领导下，在习近平强军思想科学指引下，我们这支党领导的人民军队守住了根和魂，走开了快速发展的步伐，赢得了迈向世界一流的主动，始终是党和人民完全可以信赖的英雄部队。强军事业是接续奋斗的伟大事业。“十五五”时期，我军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，这对高质量推进国防和军队现代化提出新的更高要求。我们必须清醒地认识到，国防和军队现代化建设是一个系统工程，千头万绪、涉及面广，必须找准战略重点，以重点突破带动整体提升。习主席在这次重要讲话中强调，“政治建军是人民军队立军之本，关乎国防和军队现代化建设方向和底色”“高质量推进国防和军队现代化，根本指向和检验标准始终是战斗力”“巩固提高一体化国家战略体系和能力，是高质量推进国防和军队现代化的必由之路”。这“三个方面”紧密联系、相互贯通，是高质量推进国防和军队现代化建设的战略重点，也是根本遵循，必将有力指引我们强化政治引领，深化创新发展，不断把国防和军队现代化推向前进，加快把人民军队建成世界一流军队。历史大势浩浩荡荡，强军进程不可阻挡。高质量推进国防和军队现代化时不我待、正当其时。新征程上，全军要坚持以习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想为指导，深入贯彻习近平强军思想，坚持和加强党对军队的绝对领导，全面落实新时代政治建军方略，加强理论武装，深化思想整风，打牢官兵听党话、跟党走的思想根基，确保枪杆子永远听党指挥。要深入推进反腐败斗争，健全重大项目监管体系，确保各项建设质量托底、能力托底、廉洁托底。要加快先进战斗力有效供给，加强无人智能技术军事应用，深化网络信息体系建设运用，逐步构建智能化军事体系。要加强作战能力体系集成，搞好实战化检验评估，扎实推进练兵备战，有效捍卫国家主权、安全、发展利益。要加强军事治理，结合落实跨军地改革任务，优化体制机制，完善政策制度，形成各司其职、紧密协作、规范有序的跨军地工作格局，在全社会营造关心国防、热爱国防、建设国防、保卫国防的浓厚氛围，汇聚起强军兴军的磅礴力量，凝心聚力推动国防和军队现代化行稳致远，为以中国式现代化全面推进强国建设、民族复兴伟业提供坚强战略支撑。