Exercises Doctrine

Strong Military Forum | Let Grassroots Commanders Play More 'Joint Chess'

强军论坛丨让基层指挥员多下“联合棋”

PLA Daily (解放军报) 17 May 2026

Summary

A PLA Army brigade has institutionalized joint operations command training down to the battalion level and below, requiring grassroots commanders to master not only their own unit's weapons and formations but also the command coordination and support functions of other services and arms. The article identifies a recognized gap—a 'wait-and-rely' mentality among company and battalion commanders who treat joint command as a higher-echelon responsibility—and signals a deliberate PLA effort to push joint literacy and 'systems thinking' to the tactical edge, consistent with the post-2016 reform goal of making the battalion the basic joint combat unit. The emphasis on building 'plug-and-play' command modules and breaking the 'last mile' of joint operations suggests the PLA views grassroots command integration as an unresolved readiness problem, not a solved one.

Translation

Let Grassroots Commanders Play More 'Joint Chess'

■ Wang Lei

In modern warfare, there is no battle without jointness, and no victory without jointness. Focused on joint operations requirements, a certain Army brigade has persisted in extending the scope of joint operations command talent cultivation down to the battalion level and below, letting grassroots commanders play more 'joint chess' (联合棋) and blaze more 'joint trails' (联合路). The brigade has refined the capability indicators for grassroots commanders to carry out joint operations tasks, requiring them, on the basis of proficiently mastering the combat grouping and command employment of their own unit's forces and weapons, to systematically understand the command coordination, operational support, and related skills of other services and arms in joint operations, so as to accelerate the cultivation of a cohort of grassroots commanders who possess joint thinking and have mastered the essentials of coordination.

Winning future joint operations is not solely the concern of mid- and senior-level commanders—it also cannot be achieved without the efficient command of grassroots commanders. Perceiving the battlefield situation, making combat decisions… Looking across our military's exercises and training in recent years, one notable change is that grassroots commanders are playing an increasingly important role, occupying an increasingly prominent position, and exercising an increasingly evident function in the joint operations command chain. As integrated joint training and joint operations become the norm, grassroots commanders, as the 'nerve endings' (神经末梢) of joint operations, have their joint literacy (联合素养), sense of the overall situation, and capacity to adapt to changing circumstances directly affecting the realization of operational effectiveness. Only by actively adapting to the new requirements and new trends of joint operations, and proactively cultivating joint thinking and elevating joint capabilities through participation in joint operations command, can grassroots commanders find their proper positioning and accomplish much in joint operations.

Fact has proven that jointness requires not only the 'minds' (头脑) of the various services and arms to be joined, but also the 'limbs' (四肢) of each combat unit to be joined. Today, under the new organizational structure, the battalion-level unit has become the basic combat unit of our military's joint operations. We often say: ten thousand troops look to command. Winning future integrated joint warfare cannot be achieved without strong, solid, and efficiently commanded combat units, and even less without company and battalion commanders of superior quality and high capability. Only by letting grassroots commanders play more 'joint chess,' and working hard to build 'plug-and-play' (即插即用) command modules, can we break through the 'last mile' (最后一公里) of joint operations, produce a joint effect of '1+1>2,' and thereby win victory in future wars.

In practice, however, some grassroots commanders harbor a 'wait-and-rely' (等靠) mentality, feeling that joint command is the business of higher-level organs—that they train however the higher level arranges it, and need only manage their own 'one-third of an acre' (一亩三分地). In fact, in joint operations, every combat module is critical; sometimes a single small combat unit may be called upon to execute a campaign-level or even strategic-level task. This requires grassroots commanders to carry a strong sense of the overall situation and joint concepts, both consolidating their own strength and integrating into the overall picture, and genuinely transforming 'terminal thinking' (末端思维) into the 'systems thinking' (体系思维) of joint operations.

Only when the joint foundation is solidly laid in peacetime can forces 'clench fingers into a fist' (攥指成拳) and win in wartime. To let grassroots commanders play more 'joint chess,' Party organizations at all levels must on the one hand guide grassroots commanders to strengthen their study of joint operations knowledge—not only mastering professional knowledge and command within their own domain, but also paying attention to acquiring relevant specialties of adjacent units and neighboring forces, striving to achieve mastery of one specialty with multiple capabilities and one talent with multiple uses, and genuinely enhancing joint operations literacy. On the other hand, they must give full play to the role of mission-based training (任务练兵), organize grassroots commanders to actively participate in joint operations and joint training, let them shoulder heavy responsibilities and lead the charge in joint exercises and training, and comprehensively temper and elevate joint operations command capability.

Original Chinese

让基层指挥员多下“联合棋” ■王镭现代战争，无战不联，无联不胜。聚焦联合作战需求，陆军某旅坚持将联合作战指挥人才培养范围向营以下拓展，让基层指挥员多下“联合棋”、多蹚 “联合路”，对基层指挥员遂行联合作战任务能力指标进行细化，要求其在熟练掌握本单位兵力兵器作战编组和指挥运用基础上，系统了解其他军兵种在联合作战中的指挥协同、作战保障等相关技能，加速培养一批具备联合思维、掌握协同要领的基层指挥员。打赢未来联合作战，不仅是中高级指挥员的事，也离不开基层指挥员的高效指挥。感知战场态势、定下战斗决心……纵观我军近年来的演习演训，一个显著变化，就是基层指挥员在联合作战指挥链上的角色越来越重要、地位越来越突出、作用越来越明显。随着一体化联合训练、联合作战成为常态，基层指挥员作为联合作战中的“神经末梢”，其联合素养、全局观念、应变能力高低直接影响作战效能的发挥。基层指挥员只有积极适应联合作战新要求新趋势，主动在参与联合作战指挥中培养联合思维、提升联合本领，才能在联合作战中找准定位、大有作为。事实证明，联合不仅需要各军兵种“头脑”联，还需要各作战单元“四肢”联。如今，在新的编制体制下，营一级单位已成为我军联合作战的基本作战单元。我们常讲，千军万马看指挥。打赢未来一体化联合战争，离不开强固有力、指挥高效的作战单元，更离不开素质过硬、本领高强的营连指挥员。只有让基层指挥员多下“联合棋”，着力打造“即插即用”的指挥模块，才能打通联合作战的“最后一公里”，产生“1+1>2”的联合效应，进而赢得未来战争的胜利。然而实际工作中，一些基层指挥员存在“等靠”思想，觉得联合指挥是上级机关的事，上面怎么安排就怎么练，只想着管好自己的“一亩三分地”。事实上，在联合作战中，每一个作战模块都很关键，有时候一个小小的作战单元，都有可能执行战役甚至战略级任务。这要求基层指挥员必须胸怀大局意识、联合观念，既强固自身，又融入全局，切实把“末端思维”转变为联合作战的“体系思维”。平时联合基础夯得实，战时才能“攥指成拳”打得赢。让基层指挥员多下“联合棋”，各级党组织一方面要引导基层指挥员增强联合作战知识学习，既要精通专业知识、本领域指挥，还要注重掌握友邻单位、友邻部队相关专业，努力做到一专多能、一才多用，切实增强联合作战素养。另一方面要充分发挥任务练兵作用，组织基层指挥员积极参与联战联训，让他们在联合演训中担重任、打头阵，全面淬炼提升联合作战指挥能力。