Marching Boldly Toward the Centenary Army-Building Goal — The Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at Its Core Leads the People's Army in Writing a New Chapter of Strengthening and Revitalizing the Military

Marching Boldly Toward the Centenary Army-Building Goal — The Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at Its Core Leads the People's Army in Writing a New Chapter of Strengthening and Revitalizing the Military

Xinhua News Agency reporter Mei Changwei; People's Daily reporter Jin Zhengbo; PLA Daily reporter Fei Shiting

In the height of summer in the Year of Bingwu, the People's Army — having traversed 99 extraordinary years — once again welcomes its own holiday: Army Day on August 1.

In Nanchang, Jiangxi, the August 1 Nanchang Uprising Memorial Tower stands tall and imposing. Carved into its base are the characters "1927.8.1." At the tower's apex, a granite-sculpted "Hanyang Arsenal" rifle stands upright alongside an "August 1" military flag unfurling in the wind, together commemorating the magnificent journey of a heroic army.

Time is the most faithful recorder and the greatest writer. Over 99 years, the People's Army — setting out from this heroic city, holding high the Party's banner — has passed through the smoke and fire of war, forged ahead through every obstacle, made enormous sacrifices, won one glorious victory after another, and established great historical merits for the Party and the people. It now strides with unstoppable momentum toward a great moment: the centenary of the army's founding.

Building a consolidated national defense and a powerful military is a goal our Party has pursued unremittingly. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, 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, has charted the grand enterprise of military strengthening and navigated the course of military strengthening around the goal of building a strong military in the new era, leading national defense and military development to achieve historic accomplishments and undergo historic transformations.

This year marks the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, and is also a critical year for fighting the decisive battle to achieve the centenary army-building goal.

On July 1, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, President Xi Jinping emphasized at the rally celebrating the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China: "We must comprehensively implement the Party's thinking on strengthening the military in the new era, implement the military strategic guidelines for the new era, uphold the Party's absolute leadership over the People's Army, unswervingly follow the path of strengthening the military with Chinese characteristics, comprehensively advance the military's development through political work, reform, science and technology, talented personnel, and the rule of law, advance the modernization of national defense and the military at high quality, achieve the centenary army-building goal on schedule, and accelerate the building of the People's Army into a world-class military."

The Party flag leads the military flag forward; the new march of military strengthening strides ahead. Standing at the historical juncture of the 99th anniversary of the army's founding, the People's Army led by the Party is pressing forward with a fighting posture and a fresh appearance, working hard to overcome difficulties and striving to be first, writing new glory on the magnificent scroll of strengthening and revitalizing the military.

(I) Forging the Military Soul: Rectification and Training Bring Forth a New Ethos

"Strengthening the military must first mean being strong politically; being strong politically is the most fundamental strength."

In the capital Beijing, on the eastern side of the northern extension of the central axis. The Museum of the Communist Party of China welcomed a group of visitors in military uniform — students of the All-Army Senior Cadre Training Course.

Tracing roots and origins, tempering and forging. Historical photographs, revolutionary artifacts, and vivid scenes prompted the senior military cadres attending the training to reflect deeply: Why did you join the Party? Why did you join the army? Why did you become a commander?

Senior cadres are the backbone of the cause of military strengthening, bearing enormous responsibilities, with thousands of troops behind them. At the historical juncture of the new "three-step" strategic transition in national defense and military modernization, Chairman Xi personally decided to hold the All-Army Senior Cadre Training Course. This is a strategic measure to consolidate and deepen the results of political rectification and to forge the backbone of the cause of military strengthening.

On the morning of April 8, Chairman Xi attended the opening ceremony and delivered an important speech, emphasizing the need to carry out ideological rectification (思想整风), deepen political rectification (政治整训), strengthen the revolutionary tempering of our military's cadre corps, always maintain the purity and glory of the People's Army, and welcome the centenary of the army's founding with a fresh political bearing.

Senior cadres receive education first; the "critical few" (关键少数) receive genuine education. Reading original texts, receiving thematic instruction, visiting and learning, discussing and exchanging views — the course participants underwent a spiritual baptism at the depths of their souls.

On the day the first cohort graduated, 16 student representatives shared their reflections, speaking of the weight of their mission and the responsibility of concrete action. Outside the window, a sculpture of the Red Army's Long March stood quietly, illuminating the path already traveled and pointing toward the distance. Tempered and forged anew from this starting point, the students returned to their respective posts and set out on a new journey.

Looking back at the glorious history of the People's Army — from the Sanwan Reorganization to the Gutian Conference, from the Yan'an Rectification Movement to the New-Style Army Rectification Movement during the War of Liberation, from the rectification of Party work and style in the early days of the People's Republic to the comprehensive Party rectification after reform and opening up — the People's Army has grown stronger, purer, and more combat-capable through each round of rectification and training.

"Strengthening the military must first mean being strong politically; being strong politically is the most fundamental strength." Since entering the new era, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, standing at the strategic height of winning the historical initiative in military strengthening and revitalization, has led and advanced political army-building (政治建军) and political rectification (政治整训) with enormous political courage and a strong sense of historical responsibility, resolutely defending the political character of the People's Army, and opening a new journey of reshaping the People's Army through political rectification.

From Gutian to Yan'an, from the All-Army Political Work Conference to the Central Military Commission Political Work Conference, consistently and thoroughly rectifying ideology, personnel use, organization, work style, and discipline — the Party leadership that had once been weakened in our military has been strengthened; the focus of work that had once drifted has been corrected; the unhealthy tendencies and corruption that were once thought impossible to stop have been curbed; the political ecosystem that had once deteriorated has been reversed. The People's Army has been reborn through revolutionary tempering, laying a more solid ideological foundation and providing a stronger political guarantee for achieving the centenary army-building goal.

— Consciously using the Party's innovative theories to transform thinking and consolidate the foundation.

In Yongxin, Jiangxi, the Sanwan Reorganization Memorial Stele inscribes history and enlightens the future. During one inspection of troops, Chairman Xi recounted with deep feeling the story that took place there: "The 54th Group Army has a famous 'Red First Company.' In September 1927, during the 'Sanwan Reorganization,' Comrade Mao Zedong personally established a Party branch in this company and developed six new Party members, pioneering our military's practice of 'building the branch at the company level.'"

Having red roots requires also having a red soul. In recent years, the "Red First Company" has integrated the study of the Party's innovative theories into daily life through branch-organized study, system-driven study, Party member-led study, backbone-assisted study, and scenario-aided study, igniting the intrinsic motivation of officers and soldiers to train and prepare for war and to work hard to overcome difficulties, and has completed major exercise and training missions on multiple occasions.

All units have consistently placed the ideological and political development and command of the troops in a prominent position, persistently using the Party's innovative theories to forge the soul and cultivate people. On the western frontier, multiple propaganda teams from an Air Force unit went to high-altitude plateaus, into positions, and to combat posts, explaining the Party's innovative theories in plain and accessible terms. On the vast South China Sea, a Navy submarine crew's "Loyal Blue Whale Grand Stage" held lectures in the deep sea, guiding officers and soldiers to study, reflect on, and practice Xi Jinping's thinking on strengthening the military in light of their actual missions. On the front lines of exercises and training, a Rocket Force brigade, in view of the dispersed and mobile characteristics of its units, flexibly carried out mass discussion activities under the theme "Everyone Talks About the Thinking on Strengthening the Military" (强军思想大家谈). The foundation of faith is continuously consolidated, the calcium of the spirit is continuously replenished, and the helm of thought is continuously steadied.

— Consciously carrying forward the spirit of thorough self-revolution.

In May of this year, the Central Military Commission issued "Several Measures on Strengthening the Education, Management, and Supervision of Senior Military Cadres," targeting the strict enforcement of discipline to warn the mind and guide conduct, strict management of principal officers to lead by example from the top down, and strict accountability to ensure genuine and concrete implementation, effectively establishing iron rules of strict education, strict management, and strict supervision.

"Our Party is a Marxist political party that always represents the fundamental interests of the broadest masses of the people; it has no special interests of its own, and any thinking or behavior that seeks private gain or engages in corruption is utterly incompatible with the Party's nature and purpose." Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, under the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee, the Central Military Commission, and Chairman Xi, all military units have adhered to comprehensively and strictly governing the Party and comprehensively and strictly governing the military, deeply advancing political rectification, rectifying work style, enforcing discipline, and combating corruption, persisting in thorough investigation and rooting out evil completely, resolutely investigating and punishing corrupt elements at the senior levels of the military, effectively eliminating major political risks, and consolidating the purity and glory of the People's Army.

Identifying and exposing the manifestations of pernicious influence, establishing problem targets, conducting in-depth and thorough inspection and correction; opposing privileged thinking and privileged phenomena, rectifying the "Four Winds" (四风) with the spirit of hammering a nail; resolutely investigating and punishing new forms of corruption and hidden corruption; deepening the simultaneous investigation and governance of corrupt conduct and corrupt style, working persistently and systematically, advancing in an integrated manner the inability, impossibility, and unwillingness to engage in corruption (不敢腐、不能腐、不想腐); focusing on key industries and fields for strict governance, driving the elimination of unspoken rules and entrenched malpractices across all fields — a clean and upright atmosphere pervades every military camp.

— Consciously establishing and practicing a correct view of political performance (政绩观).

For whom is political performance achieved? What kind of political performance should be achieved? How should political performance be achieved? At all levels throughout the military, the study and education on establishing and practicing a correct view of political performance has been consistently integrated with advancing combat training and readiness, planning and construction, and grassroots development, ensuring that study is of quality, investigation has force, and correction is effective, so that "proceeding from reality and acting in accordance with objective laws" enters into thinking and work guidance, and high-quality development is driven by genuine effort and concrete action.

An Army brigade pursued a learning approach of "thematic research, immersive study, and scenario-based discussion," studying deeply and comprehending deeply in close connection with ideological rectification, correcting deviations in the view of political performance at the ideological root. A National Defense University college consistently used typical cases as "living teaching materials" and warning education as a "sobering agent," enabling Party member cadres to understand laws and regulations, know the rules, and maintain a sense of awe. A unit of the Cyberspace Force, in conjunction with the progress of rectification and governance, systematically identified and examined problems, collected opinions and suggestions from units online and offline, and dynamically updated the problem list. A unit of the Space Force integrated the advancement of problem rectification with the rectification and governance of key industries and fields, closing out each problem as it was corrected. The theater commands, cross-checking problems identified during inspections, research visits, exercises, and training, refined the identification and correction of deviations in the view of political performance regarding combat readiness and warfighting, and used whether something is conducive to improving combat effectiveness as the hard benchmark for measuring all work, driving the firm establishment of the combat effectiveness standard.

Having undergone rectification and tempering, the fundamental principles and systems of the Party's absolute leadership over the military have been further consolidated; ideals and convictions, the original aspiration and character, and traditional work styles have powerfully returned; the morale, mental outlook, and political ecosystem of the troops have undergone major and profound changes; the conviction of officers and soldiers throughout the military to heed the Party and follow the Party is incomparably firm, and the will and strength to strive for military strengthening under the Party's banner have been gathered.

(II) Transformation and Reshaping: Reform and Innovation Advance in Depth

"We must maintain the resolve and confidence to reform boldly, the courage to overcome difficulties, and the drive to leave marks on iron and imprints on stone, and win a comprehensive victory in deepening national defense and military reform."

Midsummer. Blazing sun. The battlefield is in the heat of battle.

New-type armored vehicles maneuver freely; charge after charge, track after track, paint a fresh picture on the long scroll of military strengthening. Driving the armored vehicles are the officers and soldiers of the "Military-Strengthening Martial-Excellence Red Fourth Company," a Red Army company with a weighty history and distinguished merits.

On the eve of Army Day 2014, Chairman Xi visited the company and earnestly encouraged the officers and soldiers to "carry forward glorious traditions, be worthy successors of the red legacy, train hard in the skills of warfighting, strive to be exemplary warriors of martial excellence, take the lead and spearhead in completing major missions, and make new and greater contributions to achieving the goal of military strengthening."

At that time, the great tide of reform to strengthen the military was surging powerfully. In November 2013, the Third Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China decided to incorporate deepening national defense and military reform into the overall plan for comprehensively deepening reform, elevating it to the will of the Party and a state action. In February 2014, the Central Military Commission decided to establish the Central Military Commission Leading Group for Deepening National Defense and Military Reform, with Chairman Xi personally serving as group leader.

In the years that followed, the unit to which the company belonged was reorganized into a combined-arms brigade, and the company's officers and soldiers threw themselves vigorously into the reform, transitioning from motorized infantry to armored infantry, and driving informatized armored vehicles to complete a series of major missions with distinction.

In July 2024, the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China made systematic arrangements for further comprehensively deepening reform and advancing Chinese-style modernization, explicitly calling for "continuously deepening national defense and military reform." Shortly thereafter, Chairman Xi replied to a letter from all officers and soldiers of the Fourth Company, affirming that they had "successfully achieved transformation and development and completed their assigned missions with distinction," and encouraging everyone to "achieve new accomplishments and render new merits on the new journey in the new era."

Reform is the only path to strengthening and revitalizing the military, and the key move that determines the military's future.

The new global military revolution is developing rapidly, the form of warfare is accelerating its evolution, and major countries are adjusting their military strategies, transforming their military organizational forms, and competing for strategic initiative. "Not reforming will not work; reforming too slowly will not work either." Chairman Xi has profoundly pointed out that deepening national defense and military reform is "a major examination we cannot avoid."

Advancing in overlapping stages through the three major campaigns of reform, forming a new pattern in which the CMC exercises overall management, theater commands focus on warfighting, and the services focus on development (军委管总、战区主战、军种主建), building a modern military force system with Chinese characteristics, building a socialist military policy and institutional system with Chinese characteristics — since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Party Central Committee, the Central Military Commission, and Chairman Xi have comprehensively implemented the strategy of reform to strengthen the military with unprecedented resolve and force, and the People's Army has achieved an overall and revolutionary reshaping.

This historic transformation has been called "the most extensive and most profound national defense and military reform since the founding of the People's Republic of China."

Chairman Xi has emphasized: "We must maintain the resolve and confidence to reform boldly, the courage to overcome difficulties, and the drive to leave marks on iron and imprints on stone, and win a comprehensive victory in deepening national defense and military reform."

The People's Army must be bold in reform and skilled at innovation, and must never ossify or stagnate under any circumstances or in any situation. The entire military persists in keeping the direction unchanged, the path undeviated, and the force undiminished, accelerating the advancement of transformation and reshaping, and unswervingly carrying reform through to the end.

Following up on the transformation of thinking and concepts —

In the ink-black night, a mobile detachment of an Air Force radar brigade concealed its movements, raced to a designated area, rapidly erected antennas, calibrated parameters, and began searching! Acquiring! Before catching a breath, it received orders to redeploy, preparing to rush to the next operation. Turning through multiple locations in a single mission is now the norm.

Not long ago, officers and soldiers of the brigade, accustomed to training in a fixed radar station mode, set up camp methodically during a cross-regional exercise and were wiped out in one sweep by the opposing force.

Reform means the body must turn around, and the mind must turn around too — the lesson the brigade's officers and soldiers learned through a painful defeat is now a conscious action throughout the entire military.

The Marine Corps focuses on combined-arms multi-capability, rapid response, and all-domain employment, accelerating its pace of transformation. A unit of the Information Support Force deeply integrates into the joint operations system, optimizing information service and support methods. The Second Mobile Corps of the People's Armed Police closely aligns with the demands of diverse missions, planning and advancing various aspects of development and work. Concepts are being updated, thinking is being upgraded, and elite forces are honing their sharp edge.

Exploring and innovating development models —

A Rocket Force unit is an entirely new force established through reform. At the time of its establishment, there were no precedents to follow for how the unit should be built or how officers and soldiers should train.

Where there is no road, forge one. Starting from scratch, the unit integrated communications, transportation, engineering, chemical defense, repair, and medical support capabilities into an entirely new support chain, gradually achieving "command on a single map, coordinated action on a single board," with support response speed greatly improved.

Throughout the entire military, reform and innovation are being continuously deepened, development concepts are being transformed, development models are being innovated, development momentum is being enhanced, and efforts are being concentrated on breaking through the bottlenecks and blockages constraining high-quality development, driving the modernization of national defense and the military to shift from an increase in "quantity" to an improvement in "quality."

Opening up a new landscape for reform to strengthen the military —

To this day, many people still remember that special moment: midnight on January 16, 2016. Using this as the dividing line, the original seven military region commands and the five theater commands completed a historic handover, the People's Army entered a new "time zone," and formally launched the construction of theater command joint operations command institutions.

Ten years have flown by; the lights burning through the night are still frequent, but the questions weighing on the mind are different now. The "Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Further Comprehensively Deepening Reform and Advancing Chinese-Style Modernization" devoted a dedicated section to deploying the deepening of national defense and military reform, explicitly calling for "optimizing the composition of theater command joint operations command centers."

From "construction" to "optimization" — a change of one word condenses the day-and-night struggle of tens of thousands of officers and soldiers, and resonates with the forward command of "reform is always on the road."

"Improving the leadership and management systems and mechanisms of the People's Army," "deepening reform of the joint operations system," "deepening civil-military integrated reform" — officers and soldiers throughout the military maintain the steadiness, perseverance, and tenacity of reform, and persistently advance reform into the deep end.

(III) Leapfrog Development: Modernization Advances at a Steady and Rapid Pace

"We must strengthen our sense of mission and urgency, and strive to achieve leapfrog development in our military's modernization."

The J-35, J-15T, KJ-600 — in May of this year, an announcement from the Ministry of National Defense rapidly swept across screens: with the commissioning of multiple new-type combat aircraft, the People's Navy successfully completed the "carrier five-piece set" (航母五件套).

Completing the "five-piece set" is a key link in forming the carrier battle group's system combat capability, and is also an important achievement in the modernization of the People's Navy's weapons and equipment.

Since entering the new era, the modernization of the People's Navy has advanced at a steady and rapid pace. Aircraft carriers have completed a "three-level leap" from having none to having some, from refitted to domestically built, and from ski-jump to catapult launch. Type 055 ten-thousand-ton destroyers and Type 075 amphibious assault ships have been commissioned in batches, and the types and functions of various weapons platforms have been continuously improved.

Steel warships racing across ten thousand miles of sea lanes reflect the magnificent journey of national defense and military modernization in the new era.

"We must strengthen our sense of mission and urgency, and strive to achieve leapfrog development in our military's modernization." Keeping a close eye on changes in technology, changes in warfare, and changes in adversaries, the Party Central Committee, the Central Military Commission, and Chairman Xi have made a series of strategic plans and deployments, comprehensively advancing the modernization of military theory, military organizational forms, military personnel, and weapons and equipment, leading the modernization of the People's Army to stride forward and develop by leaps and bounds.

— "Weapons and equipment are an important hallmark of military modernization and an important pillar of national security and national rejuvenation."

Accelerating the development of advanced weapons and equipment, accelerating the implementation of major strategic programs in national defense science and technology and weapons and equipment, and developing and building "trump card" (撒手锏) weapons and equipment — from "aircraft plus artillery" to "missiles plus satellites" and "steel plus chips," our military is accelerating the integrated development of mechanization, informatization, and intelligentization, and a large number of domestically produced advanced weapons and equipment are being commissioned in systems.

September 3, 2025, Tiananmen Square. A grand parade was held to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.

New-type tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, and other new-generation traditional land warfare weapons; new-type combat equipment in the domains of unmanned systems, underwater, and cyber-electromagnetic; hypersonic missiles, strategic missiles, and other national heavy weapons — all equipment on review was domestically produced active-duty main combat equipment, most of it appearing for the first time.

On the viewing platform, centenarian veterans of the War of Resistance who had once fought off invaders with "millet plus rifles" held tears in their eyes and raised their right hands, solemnly saluting the modernized reviewing formations.

— "We must strengthen innovation-driven development, and with greater force and more substantive measures accelerate scientific and technological self-reliance and self-improvement, and give full play to the strategic supporting role of science and technology in our military's development."

Great national instruments of power are incubated through independent innovation; the "wings of a great nation" are lifted by our own strength.

"Key core technologies cannot be obtained by asking for them, buying them, or begging for them." Chairman Xi has repeatedly emphasized "unswervingly accelerating the pace of independent innovation," requiring efforts to "advance high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and self-improvement, accelerate breakthroughs in key core technologies, accelerate the development of strategic, frontier, and disruptive technologies, and give play to the strategic supporting role of scientific and technological innovation in our military's development."

"Not innovating will not work; innovating too slowly will not work either." Military scientific research workers throughout the military have risen to the challenge and dared to be pioneers, focusing on breakthroughs in key core technologies and striving to convert the nation's continuously growing scientific and technological strength into national defense science and technology innovation capability.

An Army brigade submitted a requirements request; a research institution solicited proposals from across the military; a Navy unit's research team "answered the call" and tackled the problem — a research result urgently needed by the troops was put into application on the exercise and training front lines in just 45 days. The School of Intelligent Science at the National University of Defense Technology formed a cross-department, cross-discipline joint research team and established a communication and cooperation mechanism with front-line mission units, accelerating the rapid conversion of frontier research results.

— "Talent is the key factor in driving the high-quality development of our military and winning the initiative in military competition and future wars."

Is it prudent to entrust a group of young people with an average age of under 31 with key projects? The Defense Technology Innovation Institute of the Academy of Military Sciences overrode objections and boldly let young backbone personnel try and explore, delivering an outstanding performance record in realistic combat exercises.

Is it appropriate to establish studios named after two civilian personnel? An Army unit broke convention, built a platform for business backbone personnel with ideas, capability, and drive, and helped them accelerate their growth and produce more results.

The way to strengthen the military lies fundamentally in obtaining the right people. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Party Central Committee, the Central Military Commission, and Chairman Xi have placed the implementation of the new-era strategy of strengthening the military through talented personnel in a prominent position in the development of the cause of military strengthening, and have made great efforts in reviving the Party's political discipline over talent management, establishing a clear orientation of cultivating people for warfighting, optimizing the layout of talent development, deepening reform of military human resources policies and institutions, and promoting openness and integration in the talent domain. Our military's talent work has achieved historic accomplishments.

The new integrated military talent cultivation system of three components has released new momentum. The cultivation of "four types of talent" — joint operations command, new-type combat forces, high-level scientific and technological innovation, and high-level strategic management — is being advanced systematically. Young officers and soldiers are being tempered on the front lines of exercises and training; a cohort of new-type destroyer and frigate captains, airborne commanders, combined-arms battalion commanders, and missile launch commanders has emerged in major missions, and large numbers of high-quality non-commissioned officers are playing important roles on the exercise and training grounds.

New era, new atmosphere — the path of strengthening the military through talent is being broadened continuously, and the formation of new-type military talent is accelerating its rise.

(IV) Concentrating Strength on Winning: Training and Readiness Forge Elite Forces

"The People's Army is forever a fighting force; the vitality of the People's Army lies in its combat effectiveness."

With the most surging "Chinese heart," welcoming home "the most beloved people."

In April of this year, a Y-20B fitted with domestically produced engines flew to South Korea to carry out the mission of receiving and escorting the remains of Chinese People's Volunteer Army martyrs back to the homeland. Across the span of time, the officers and soldiers of the new era marching toward the centenary of the army's founding report to their forebears who defended the homeland and shed their blood: the iron and blood spirit endures; the mountains and rivers are at peace.

This mission was the Y-20B's first flight abroad. Striding forward on the new journey, such "firsts" are too numerous to count —

The H-6K bomber conducted a combat patrol over the South China Sea, appearing in the same frame as Huangyan Island for the first time; multiple types of combat aircraft conducted "island encirclement patrols" (绕岛巡航) in a system for the first time; realistic joint exercises and training implemented an encirclement of the Taiwan island for the first time, and a realistic shooting range was established for the first time to the east of the Taiwan island; the Navy's Liaoning and Shandong dual-carrier formations appeared simultaneously in the Western Pacific for the first time to conduct far-sea training —

The inspiring "firsts" are connected to the resounding "first priority": "The military is first and foremost a fighting force, existing for the purpose of warfighting."

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, Chairman Xi has repeatedly emphasized that being capable of fighting and winning battles is the essential requirement of military strengthening, the People's Army is forever a fighting force, and the vitality of the People's Army lies in its combat effectiveness. Aboard warships cutting through the waves, Chairman Xi has gone onto the deck and into the cabins, inspecting each major combat post one by one. On the Gobi Desert where dripping water turns to ice, Chairman Xi has braved the bitter cold and the north wind, gaining a thorough understanding of flight training conditions. In all-military combat readiness exercises and training, Chairman Xi has personally gone to the front lines to command, personally reviewed exercise plans, selected participating units, and made on-the-spot adjustments to the situation.

Establishing the military strategic thinking of the new era, establishing the military strategic guidelines of the new era, establishing the baton of combat readiness and warfighting, and establishing the responsibility and commitment to grasping combat readiness and warfighting — the entire military resolutely implements Chairman Xi's decisions and instructions, focuses all energy on warfighting, directs all work toward warfighting, simultaneously conducting struggle, preparing for war, and building up the force, accelerating the improvement of the capability to win, and ensuring that when the Party and the people need it, the force can be deployed, can advance, and can win.

— Using warfighting to lead development, using readiness to promote development.

An Air Force unit built a virtual-reality integrated simulation training center, pioneering a new model of virtual-reality interconnection, cross-domain grouping, and remote confrontation among dissimilar aircraft, surface-to-air missile, and radar units, using digital empowerment to break down training barriers.

A Joint Logistic Support Force warehouse implemented the requirements of joint operations, joint training, and joint support, integrated logistics force resources, cleared the circulation links for combat readiness materials, and worked hard to improve combat readiness levels and the capability to support warfighting.

All units grasped the requirements of the new situation and missions, focused on the needs of combat readiness, warfighting, and development, enhanced the systematicness, overall coherence, and coordination of all work, ensured efforts are directed in the same direction and applied comprehensively, and accelerated the formation of a sound situation of integrated advancement of warfighting, development, and readiness.

— Realistic combat training, joint warfighting and joint training.

"Train the troops the way the battle will be fought, train hard in whatever warfighting requires, and specialize and refine training in whatever the troops lack most." All units unswervingly placed military training in a strategic position and treated it as the central task, innovated training concepts and methods, vigorously conducted realistic combat military training, continuously deepened military training reform, drove the transformation and upgrading of military training, and comprehensively improved the solid capability to win future wars.

The Eastern Theater Command routinely organizes joint exercises and training, with multi-service and multi-branch forces acting in an integrated and coordinated manner, exercising deterrence and control across all domains. An Air Force unit, together with an Information Support Force unit, an Army air defense brigade, and an Air Force radar brigade, among other units, explored the establishment of a combat information sharing mechanism, with multi-service "data streams" flowing into the same training ground. During one far-sea training exercise, a Navy ship formation deployed dozens of vessels and hundreds of aircraft sorties across the vast open ocean, driving and leading all types of air, surface, and underwater forces to participate in training in an integrated manner. The more strictly they train and the more realistically they practice, the stronger their capabilities and the more confident they are.

— Nurturing troops for a thousand days, employing troops for a thousand days.

"You have violated the airspace of the People's Republic of China. Leave immediately! Leave immediately!"

In May of this year, a foreign military vessel illegally intruded into the Xisha Islands and repeatedly launched shipborne helicopters that violated China's airspace. Faced with this serious violation of China's national territorial sovereignty and maritime and airspace security, front-line maritime and air forces took necessary measures in accordance with laws and regulations, including verbal warnings and demonstrative electronic jamming, and successfully expelled it.

Only by being capable of war can war be stopped. From the loyal and steadfast defense of every inch of territory on the border front lines, to the resolute and forceful rights protection and countermeasures in the East China Sea and South China Sea, to the powerful blockade, deterrence, and pressure exerted by multi-service and multi-branch forces acting in an integrated and precisely coordinated manner around the Taiwan island, all units have vigorously advanced the integration of training and employment of forces and the normalization of force employment. Officers and soldiers throughout the military have carried forward the fighting spirit of fearing neither hardship nor death, daring to struggle and daring to win, and resolutely safeguarding national sovereignty, security, and development interests.

In moments of danger and difficulty, commitment is demonstrated. When super typhoons and powerful earthquakes bring severe destruction, when viruses run rampant and seriously threaten the lives and health of the people, when floods, mudslides, and landslides cause major casualties and economic losses — wherever the danger is greatest, wherever the need is greatest, there are the sons and daughters of the people in uniform.

Rectification and training bring forth a new ethos; the assault toward military strengthening presses forward. The People's Army led by the Party is correcting its course and returning to its roots through reform and renewal, forging its soul and concentrating its will through tempering into steel, and fulfilling its mission through hard struggle and determined advance. It remains at all times a heroic force that the Party and the people can fully trust and rely upon. The fundamental reason for achieving these historic and great accomplishments lies in Chairman Xi's navigation and stewardship, and in the scientific guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.

Forging ahead toward achieving the Party's goal of military strengthening in the new era, writing a new chapter of strengthening and revitalizing the military. The People's Army adheres to the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, thoroughly implements Xi Jinping's thinking on strengthening the military, thoroughly implements the military strategic guidelines for the new era, profoundly understands the decisive significance of the "Two Establishments" (两个确立), strengthens the "Four Consciousnesses" (四个意识), consolidates the "Four Confidences" (四个自信), achieves the "Two Upholds" (两个维护), implements the system of CMC Chairman responsibility, keeps firmly in mind its duties and mission, invigorates its revolutionary spirit, concentrates its strength to forge ahead, goes all out to fight the decisive battle to achieve the centenary army-building goal, accelerates the building of the People's Army into a world-class military, and provides strong strategic support for comprehensively advancing the great cause of building a strong country and national rejuvenation through Chinese-style modernization.

(Contributing reporters: Li Longyi, Yan Shan, Yu Xiaoquan)

(Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, July 30)