Strengthening the Military and Moving Forward Again—Military Representatives and Committee Members Discuss the Implementation of the "14th Five-Year" Plan for Military Development

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, March 9 — Title: Recommitting to Strengthening the Military — Military Delegates and Committee Members Discuss Implementing the 14th Five-Year Plan for Military Development

Xinhua reporters Mei Shixiong and Li Bingxuan

On March 5, the draft outline of the “14th Five-Year Plan” was submitted for review at the Fourth Session of the 14th National People’s Congress, proposing to “achieve the centennial goal of building a strong military on schedule and promote high-quality modernization of national defense and the armed forces.”

Consolidating national defense and strengthening the military are strategic supports for Chinese-style modernization. Military delegates and committee members attending the National Two Sessions said that the blueprint has been drawn, and the mission urges us forward. We must gather powerful strength to achieve the centennial goal of building a strong military and to promote high-quality modernization of national defense and the armed forces.

“Every time I return home and see the tall buildings and thousands of lights in the distance, I feel our efforts are worthwhile,” said Ai Yingchun, a representative from the Navy submarine unit. “We need a strong enough shield so that peace is not easily broken; we need the confidence to make our opponents sober so we can live and develop peacefully. As the strategic nuclear shield of the country, we feel a heavy responsibility as we advance in the ‘14th Five-Year Plan’. We must forge an ‘underwater steel Great Wall’ and solidify the foundation of national strategic security.”

Despite a tight meeting schedule, Yuan Wei, a senior engineer from a unit in the Central Theater Command, still makes time to call team members to discuss the progress of a certain system’s development. In recent years, he has focused on solving bottlenecks urgently needed for combat readiness, leading his team to independently develop more than ten software systems, greatly improving operational planning efficiency. Yuan Wei said, “As participants in joint combat command organizations, we should actively embrace technological change, promote restructuring of command processes, strengthen data sharing and human-machine collaboration, and improve joint operational command effectiveness to firmly grasp the initiative in modern warfare.”

“Currently, the nature of warfare is accelerating toward intelligence, unmanned systems, and integrated air and space operations. Technology has become the most active and decisive factor in core military capabilities,” said Gu Qingyue, an associate professor at the Air Force Engineering University. “We must accelerate defense technological innovation and the transformation of advanced technologies, and speed up the development of advanced weaponry and equipment.”

As frontline personnel fighting in national defense construction, Tang Wuxiang, a representative, is very excited about the deployment in the draft outline of the “14th Five-Year Plan” to accelerate the development of advanced combat capabilities. “Future engineering support will gradually become mechanized, unmanned, and intelligent, which will greatly change our operational models on the front lines,” Tang Wuxiang said. “As a senior non-commissioned officer, I will continue to master new equipment, study and apply new gear, and turn technological advantages into tangible battlefield victories.”

For Song Xiaoyou, an associate professor at the Armed Police Engineering University, her work in military communication and navigation education and research is inseparable from battlefield practice. She said, “Teaching at military academies must connect with future high-tech battlefields, building a training system that is combat-oriented, case-based, and focused on enhancing students’ innovative thinking, to cultivate a new echelon of highly qualified military professionals.”

Regarding strengthening modern border, sea, and air defense, Hai Jinhang, a company commander in the Army’s border defense unit, expressed deep feelings. In 2017, he graduated and joined the border defense forces, and his first patrol route involved carrying dozens of kilograms of supplies for over ten days, trekking to a position over 4,000 meters above sea level. “Now, roads have been built to the outposts, and supply transportation has ‘wings,’ while patrols now have ‘airborne eyes,’” he said. “Strengthening modern border, sea, and air defense must focus on cutting-edge technology, building an intelligent management system that combines human, material, and technical defenses, ensuring every inch of territory is as solid as a rock.”

AI-assisted imaging diagnosis systems help doctors accurately diagnose injuries; unmanned equipment integrates into battlefield medical chains, bridging the “last mile”; 5G remote operation of robots allows soldiers in high-altitude regions to enjoy top-tier medical services at local hospitals… Zhang Ying, director of the ICU at the 941 Hospital of the Joint Support Force, described these scenarios of technological empowerment in medical support. “Medical support is crucial for maintaining soldiers’ health and ensuring victory in future wars. The role of technological empowerment is becoming increasingly evident,” she said. “More and more emerging technological achievements can be effectively transformed and applied to improve battlefield medical rescue capabilities. That is our expectation and our goal.”

Continuing to deepen political training and promote fine traditions, Peng Wanqin, a grassroots officer from a missile force unit, said, “To advance in the ‘14th Five-Year Plan,’ we must combine ongoing political training with the promotion of fine traditions. On one hand, guide officers and soldiers to clearly understand what must never be done and never harbor doubts about the Party; on the other hand, help them understand what should be done, using the grassroots as fertile ground for inheriting fine traditions, vigorously passing down and promoting our Party and military’s fine traditions, so that the red gene is passed from generation to generation, and new trends and positive energy are more abundant.”

“In January this year, relying on local resources, we completed a survey of new territorial and quality potentials. Next, we will organize militia formations and targeted training,” said Fu Xiao, deputy director and military affairs chief of the People’s Armed Forces Department of Fuping County, Hebei Province. For him, the key to the “14th Five-Year Plan” is “speeding up the capacity building of national defense mobilization,” which is “hidden” in these tasks. He said that standing at the starting line of the plan, the capacity for national defense mobilization is no longer just about “whether we have enough,” but about “how strong” and “how agile” we are.

Starting again in spring. “Fighting for dreams” and “fighting for the cause of a strong military” are the most common topics among military delegates and committee members. Everyone expressed that looking forward to the “14th Five-Year Plan,” we must maintain strategic resolve, dare to tackle “hard bones” and venture into “dangerous shoals,” unite our efforts, work hard, and strive to create a new chapter in national defense and military modernization.

(Edited by: Wen Jing)