Our Political Instructor Has Gone Out to "Play" Again? His Answer: Achieve Victory Through the Air!
"Where's the political instructor?" "Out 'playing' again!"
This political instructor, jokingly called a "shadow" by his comrades, isn't playing at anything other than UAVs!
This political cadre who "keeps his eyes on the sky" dares to break free from fixed thinking patterns——
The future battlefield is full-domain and multi-dimensional.
Armored infantry cannot cling to a ground-centric mindset.
They must develop the capability to achieve victory through the air (向空制胜).
……
Who is he?
He is someone who has carved "winning the fight" into his very life, built a shield for his comrades with his own back, and forged a string of numbers into an ideal.
Wang Xiaoming organizing physical training by the sea. Photo by Wang Xu.
Who is he?
As a soldier,
with more than a decade of military service,
the phrase "Let me do it, watch me, follow me"
has been drilled from a slogan into an instinct.
During training, Wang Xiaoming always charges to the front. Photo by Zhang Bian.
Who is he?
As the first political cadre in the entire brigade, since the standards were issued, to earn the armored infantry specialty qualifications of Shooting Grade One, Communications Grade One, and Driving Grade Two technical expert ratings;
who has explored and researched more than ten types of tactics and training methods (战法训法).
Photo of Wang Xiaoming boarding a vehicle. Photo by Wang Xu.
Who is he?
As a company political instructor,
commended by the Army as an "Outstanding Party Affairs Worker";
the company he leads has been commended separately by the Army and the Theater Army as an "Advanced Unit in Standardized Development (正规化建设先进单位)" and an "Advanced Unit in Combat Training and War Preparedness (练兵备战先进单位)."
He devoted himself to studying UAV technology.
Air-ground coordination, encirclement to break the "enemy," and made his name in a single battle.
Cheers after receiving the award. Photo by Zhang Bian.
He is the
"Most Beautiful New-Era Revolutionary Soldier (最美新时代革命军人),"
Political Instructor Wang Xiaoming
of a combined-arms brigade of the Army.
Recent photo of Wang Xiaoming. Photo by Wang Xu.
"How the war is fought is how the troops are trained"
Wang Xiaoming firmly believes one principle——
A political instructor must first be a combatant.
You have to be able to lecture in the classroom,
but even more, you have to be able to fight on the training ground.
He always says:
"Be prepared at all times
for war to break out in the next second."
↓↓↓
Once, just after a heavy rainstorm,
the company's tactical training ground was riddled with puddles.
The duty officer wanted to move the low-wire obstacle to a dry spot.
Wang Xiaoming stopped him on the spot.
"Right here. Start the test!"
Wang Xiaoming walked straight to the starting line,
threw himself into the mud and crawled forward.
Mud and sand filled his sleeves; his speed did not drop at all.
He crossed the finish line, dropped prone, and drew his weapon — clean and crisp.
Wang Xiaoming leading a tactical team in training. Photo by Zhang Bian.
After getting up, he said only one thing:
"Soldiers do not have the right to choose their combat conditions.
They only have the right to choose to win."
"Armored infantry must learn to look up at the sky"
In early 2023,
footage of foreign conflicts broadcast on television
struck him hard——
UAVs locked onto enemies from the air, delivering precise kills;
tanks and armored vehicles were destroyed in an instant.
He suddenly realized:
The form of warfare (战争形态) has changed.
Armored infantry cannot keep their eyes fixed only on the ground.
They must learn to achieve victory through the air (向空制胜).
At that time, the company had not a single UAV backbone operator.
He first trained himself into an expert.
One soldier was puzzled: "Is this thing really that useful?"
Wang Xiaoming didn't argue:
"Find a chance to try it."
The chance came quickly.
During a tactical exercise,
a concealed firing position was pinning down an infantry fighting vehicle.
He operated a UAV into the air,
precisely locked onto the coordinates,
and guided a strike that neutralized the enemy.
From that point on, no one ever asked "can it work" again.
In the winter of 2023, on the grasslands south of the desert (漠南草原),
he led his team to tackle the coordination challenges between UAVs and infantry fighting vehicles.
More than 20 days and nights of continuous work,
exploring and researching the "Swarm-Armor Integration (蜂甲一体)" tactics and training methods.
Wang Xiaoming organizing "Swarm-Armor Integration" training. Photo by Wang Xu.
Innovation has no endpoint.
In August 2025,
he and the company commander led officers and soldiers in iterative application
of aerial combat, smoke screening, and precision obstacle breaching tactics,
pushing the precision obstacle breaching hit rate
from 30% all the way up to over 95%.
In just a few years,
their UAV training,
starting from zero,
has now produced dozens of part-time UAV pilots.
Wang Xiaoming conducting innovative research with the FPV drone team. Photo by Wang Xu.
"This is First Company's 'ID card'—
and the credential of Red Army descendants joining the ranks"
The First Company led by Wang Xiaoming
is a Red Army company.
Each of his soldiers
has a dedicated nameplate.
He often reminds them:
"This is our First Company's 'ID card.'
When you see this plate, remember——
You cannot bring shame to the company.
Even after you leave, you are still a First Company soldier."
Wang Xiaoming's "ID card." Photo by Bai Junzhuo.
A string of numbers
is not just the order of joining the ranks,
but the credential of Red Army descendants.
The troop leader once criticized as "all empty talk"——
how is he doing now?
Wang Xiaoming arm-wrestling with a soldier during an outdoor activity. Photo by Wang Xu.
When he first transferred to the political work (政工) position,
his very first education class ended in failure.
The soldiers below stared blankly, their expressions perfunctory.
"All empty talk." "Too dry."
It stung him into full clarity.
He gradually came to understand——
Without genuine feeling,
you cannot reach the hearts of the soldiers.
Wang Xiaoming having heart-to-heart talks with officers and soldiers. Photo by Zhang Bian.
From rigidly lecturing on principles,
to telling stories in a gentle, flowing way,
to immersive on-site education,
refined again and again,
upgraded over and over.
Behind the transformation of the classroom
is the growth path of a grassroots political work cadre
walked with heart and feeling.
"I'm afraid, but I'm the political instructor — if not me, then who?"
Just as a live-force exercise concluded,
Wang Xiaoming led soldiers in searching for and clearing unexploded ordnance.
A shell was lodged at an angle in a dirt slope,
at risk of exploding at any moment.
The air instantly froze.
Wang Xiaoming charging ahead in an armed cross-country run. Photo by Zhang Bian.
"Everyone fall back! I'll handle it!"
He shouted the soldiers back
and stepped forward alone to inspect.
In that moment,
his silhouette
became the most solid shield
in the hearts of every officer and soldier in the company.
Wang Xiaoming and key personnel conducting a tactical discussion. Photo by Wang Xu.
Speaking of how others see him,
Wang Xiaoming laughs and jokes at his own expense:
"Everyone says I talk too much, that I'm too long-winded."
But he always wants to say a few more words.
On the off chance that someone reaches a crossroads
and can recall one thing he said,
even if it only makes the slightest difference,
it's worth it.
Wang Xiaoming helping officers and soldiers board vehicles. Photo by Wang Xu.
Yet his comrades say——
He isn't "long-winded."
He is like a shadow,
always at everyone's side,
watching the condition of each person at all times.
Photo of officers and soldiers boarding vehicles. Photo by Wang Xu.
So many soldiers like this,
so many political instructors like this,
together forge units with combat effectiveness at full capacity.
Photo of the unit where Wang Xiaoming serves. Photo by Dong Yihui.
Stationed at the northernmost point of the motherland's territory,
generation after generation of officers and soldiers carry forward the "Iron Hammer Spirit (铁锤子精神),"
sleeping with weapons at the ready, keeping watch over the northern frontier (北疆),
sharpening their arms and steeling their forces, ready at all times.
Wang Xiaoming having heart-to-heart talks with officers and soldiers. Photo by Zhang Bian.
Leading troops with the bearing of a combatant,
nurturing people with the responsibility of a political cadre,
Wang Xiaoming has used more than a decade of military service
to answer one question:
What should a troop leader of the new era look like?
The answer is written
in the mud he waded through,
the UAVs he flew,
and the soldiers he ordered back.
……
(Special thanks to Tian Jingjing, Sheng Yu, Tie Yannan, Bai Junzhuo, Zheng Jun, Wang Yiran, and Zheng Zhongyu for their great support during the interview.)