Personnel Political Work

PLA Daily Commentator: Establish Iron Rules for Strictly Strengthening the Education, Management, and Supervision of Senior Cadres

解放军报评论员：立起从严加强高级干部教育管理监督的铁规矩

PLA Daily (解放军报) 28 May 2026

Summary

The CMC has issued a new regulatory document, the 'Several Measures on Strengthening the Education, Management, and Supervision of Senior Military Cadres,' framed in PLA Daily commentary as 铁规矩 ('iron rules') covering seven areas including ideological remolding (思想改造), collective Party committee leadership, cadre selection, and supervision of principal leaders. The commentary's emphasis on combining 思想整风 (ideological rectification) with institutional constraint, and its explicit reference to purging 'toxic influences,' documents the ongoing post-corruption-purge effort to rebuild compliance norms in the senior officer corps rather than announcing a new policy direction. The framing — stricter standards the higher the rank, and immediate implementation (抓铁有痕、立行立改) — points to institutional anxiety that previous rectification campaigns have not fully penetrated the senior cadre tier, though which specific commands or individuals prompted the measure remains unstated.

Translation

Establish Iron Rules for Strictly Strengthening the Education, Management, and Supervision of Senior Cadres

■ PLA Daily Commentator

Recently, the Central Military Commission (CMC) issued the "Several Measures on Strengthening the Education, Management, and Supervision of Senior Military Cadres" (hereinafter referred to as the "Several Measures"). These are iron rules (铁规矩) aimed at the current realities of building the corps of senior military cadres and at strengthening education, management, and supervision with strict discipline. They constitute an important measure for deepening political rectification (政治整训) and advancing the political approach to building the military (政治建军), and are of great significance for strengthening the revolutionary tempering (革命性锻造) of the senior cadre corps and for building the People's Army stronger from a political standpoint.

The building of the corps of senior military cadres bears on the Party's absolute leadership over the military, on the nature and purpose of the People's Army, and on the military's fulfillment of its mission and tasks. It has always been a major issue in governing the Party, governing the military, and building the military. Since the new era began, under the firm leadership of the Party Central Committee, the CMC, and Chairman Xi, our military has adhered to comprehensively and strictly governing the Party and comprehensively and strictly governing the military, has deeply advanced political rectification and the rectification of conduct and anti-corruption efforts, has seriously investigated and punished corrupt elements in accordance with Party discipline and law, has continuously purified the political ecosystem (政治生态), and the People's Army has grown stronger through each round of rectification. Practice has fully proven: for the Party to govern the Party, the first priority is to govern cadres well; for strict Party governance, the key is strict governance of officials. Strengthening the education, management, and supervision of leading cadres—especially senior cadres—is an important responsibility of Party organizations at all levels and an inevitable requirement for ensuring the health of the Party's body and the long-term development of its cause.

The "Several Measures" adheres to the unity of goal orientation and problem orientation, and, across seven areas—including enhancing the consciousness and thoroughness of ideological remolding (思想改造), strengthening collective Party committee leadership, upholding the Party's management of cadres and organizational selection of personnel, and strengthening the supervision and management of principal leaders—it seizes on critical junctures and vital points to establish rules and clarify discipline. It runs strict, regular, and integrated education, management, and supervision throughout the entire process of senior cadres' exercise of their duties and powers, and across all aspects of their work and lives. The "Several Measures" emphasizes combining the consolidation of foundations with the elimination of toxic influences and abuses, and combining ideological rectification (思想整风) with the strict rule of law. It refines principled requirements, clarifies supervisory measures, and explores binding approaches, working to form a combined force of ideological guidance, institutional constraint, and supervisory deterrence.

Once rules are established, they must be strictly observed. Implementing the "Several Measures" must be done with iron resolve and immediate action (抓铁有痕、立行立改), ensuring that all measures are implemented with force and take effective hold. High-level Party committees in the military must treat senior cadres as the top priority in education, management, and supervision, and must persist in daring to manage, genuinely managing, and strictly managing. They must establish and improve a strict management system covering ideology, work, conduct, and discipline, and must improve the penetrating force and effectiveness of education, management, and supervision—ensuring that standards grow ever stricter the further along the process goes and ever stricter the higher up the ranks one goes. No matter how high their position, senior cadres are all within the organization. They must take the lead in receiving education first and receiving it genuinely, deeply rooting and firmly anchoring the ideological foundations of ideals and convictions, Party character cultivation, and official virtue and personal character (官德人品), and must establish and practice a correct view of political achievement (政绩观). They must lead officers and soldiers with strong capabilities and a fine spirit to fight and win the decisive battle for achieving the centenary goal of army building (建军一百年奋斗目标), advance the modernization of national defense and the military at high quality, and resolutely shoulder the historic responsibilities entrusted by the Party and the people.

Original Chinese

立起从严加强高级干部教育管理监督的铁规矩 ■解放军报评论员日前，中央军委印发《关于加强军队高级干部教育管理监督的若干措施》（以下简称《若干措施》）。这是着眼当前军队高级干部队伍建设实际、从严加强教育管理监督的铁规矩，是深化政治整训、推进政治建军的重要举措，对于加强高级干部队伍革命性锻造、从政治上建强人民军队具有重要意义。军队高级干部队伍建设，关系党对军队绝对领导，关系人民军队性质宗旨，关系军队履行使命任务，历来是管党治党、建军治军的重大问题。新时代以来，在党中央、中央军委和习主席坚强领导下，我军坚持全面从严治党、全面从严治军，深入推进政治整训、正风反腐，依纪依法严肃查处腐败分子，不断纯正政治生态，人民军队越整训越坚强。实践充分证明：党要管党，首先是管好干部；从严治党，关键是从严治官。加强对领导干部特别是高级干部的教育管理监督，是各级党组织的重要职责，是确保党的肌体健康、事业长远发展的必然要求。《若干措施》坚持目标导向和问题导向相统一，从增强思想改造的自觉性和彻底性、强化党委集体领导、坚持党管干部组织选人、加强主要领导监督管理等7个方面，扭住关节点、要害处立规明矩，把严格经常、融合贯通的教育管理监督贯穿高级干部履职用权全过程、工作生活各方面。《若干措施》注重将立根固本与肃毒除弊、思想整风与厉行法治相结合，细化原则性要求，明确督导性措施，探索约束性办法，着力形成思想引领、制度约束、监督震慑的合力。规矩一经形成，就必须严格遵守。贯彻落实《若干措施》必须抓铁有痕、立行立改，确保各项措施有力实施、有效落地。军队高层党委要把高级干部作为教育管理监督的重中之重，坚持敢管、真管、严管，建立健全管思想、管工作、管作风、管纪律的从严管理体系，提高教育管理监督的穿透力和有效性，做到越往后越严、越往上越严。高级干部不管职务多高，都在组织之内。要带头先受教育、真受教育，扎深固牢理想信念、党性修养、官德人品等思想根子，树立和践行正确政绩观，以过硬能力素质和良好精神风貌带领官兵打好实现建军一百年奋斗目标攻坚战，高质量推进国防和军队现代化，坚决扛起党和人民赋予的历史重任。