Deeply Comprehending the Dialectics of Xi Jinping’s Thought on Strengthening the Military

Xi Jinping’s Thought on Strengthening the Military upholds Marxist military dialectics, draws on the essence of China’s outstanding traditional military culture, is rooted in the great practice of the cause of strengthening the military under socialism with Chinese characteristics in the New Era, and creatively puts forward the contemporary Chinese Marxist military outlook and methodology of “upholding political guidance, upholding armed force to stop war, upholding active enterprise, upholding overall consideration, and upholding the courage to fight and the certainty of victory.” It profoundly reveals the dialectical unity between combat effectiveness building and political work, between preparing for war and being able to win wars, between adhering to bottom-line thinking and upholding active enterprise, between breakthroughs on key points and holistic advancement, and between material conditions and fighting spirit. It deepens the Party’s understanding of the laws governing military building and opens up new horizons for the development of Marxist military thought.

习近平强军思想坚持马克思主义军事辩证法，汲取中华优秀传统军事文化精髓，根植于新时代中国特色社会主义强军事业的伟大实践，创造性提出了“坚持政治引领、坚持以武止戈、坚持积极进取、坚持统筹兼顾、坚持敢打必胜”的当代中国马克思主义军事观和方法论，深刻揭示出战斗力建设与政治工作、备战打仗与能打胜仗、坚守底线思维与坚持积极进取、重点突破与整体推进、物质条件与战斗精神的辩证统一，深化了党对军队建设的规律性认识，开拓了马克思主义军事思想发展的新境界。

I. The Dialectical Unity of Combat Effectiveness Building and Political Work

一、战斗力建设与政治工作的辩证统一

Regarding upholding political guidance, General Secretary Xi Jinping points out: “In planning and directing war, one must deeply understand the political nature of war, insist that military affairs serve politics and strategy serve political strategy, and think about war issues from a political height.” This profoundly elucidates the dialectical relationship of mutual interaction and mutual promotion between combat effectiveness building and political work. On the one hand, military affairs serve and support politics; a strong military means a secure state. Only by fully recognizing the particular importance of combat effectiveness and strengthening national defense and military building can its role as a strategic pillar be brought into play, ensuring the long-term stability and security of the country. On the other hand, politics determines and leads military affairs. Political work is itself a form of spiritual combat effectiveness, playing a very important role in promoting the generation of material combat effectiveness. Whether in the period of the New Democratic Revolution or in the period of socialist revolution and construction, the glorious history of the people’s military—coming when called, fighting when ordered, and winning when engaged, growing from victory to victory—profoundly reveals that the Party’s political leadership is the soul of military building and the key to strengthening the military.

关于坚持政治引领，习近平总书记指出：“筹划和指导战争，必须深刻认识战争的政治属性，坚持军事服从政治、战略服从政略，从政治高度思考战争问题。”这深刻阐明了战斗力建设与政治工作的相互作用、相互促进辩证关系。一方面，军事服务政治、支撑政治，军队强则国家安。只有充分认识到战斗力的特别重要性，加强国防军队建设，才能发挥其战略支撑作用，保证国家长治久安。另一方面，政治决定军事、引领军事。政治工作本身就是精神战斗力，对物质战斗力生成发挥着十分重要的促进作用。无论是在新民主主义革命时期，还是在社会主义革命和建设时期，人民军队召之即来、来之能战、战之必胜的从胜利走向胜利的成长壮大辉煌历程深刻揭示出党的政治领导是建军之魂、强军之要。

Within the “two overall situations” of the strategic overall situation of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and the changes unseen in a century in the world, the mutual interaction and mutual promotion of combat effectiveness building and political work are increasingly important, and the constraint of politics on military affairs is continuously strengthening. International military博弈 [n1] is complexly interwoven with social system, ideology, and national sovereignty. For this reason, to further consolidate and strengthen the institutional advantage of the Party’s absolute leadership over the military, it is necessary to deeply comprehend the decisive significance of the Two Establishments [n2], strengthen the Four Consciousnesses [n3], fortify the Four Confidences [n4], and achieve the Two Upholds [n5]. It is necessary to earnestly implement the system of the Chairman of the Central Military Commission assuming overall responsibility, treating it as the highest political requirement to be observed and the highest political discipline to be upheld. As the research emphasizes, we must resolutely resist the influence of erroneous political views such as “depoliticizing and de-Partyizing the military” and “nationalizing the military,” and resolutely obey the commands of the Party Central Committee and the Central Military Commission. In accordance with the requirements of winning informationized wars, we must explore the mechanism by which political work serves to generate combat effectiveness, integrate political work into every link of combat effectiveness building, and incorporate it into the entire process of focusing on fighting. Only then can the cause of strengthening the military in the New Era advance along the correct political direction.

在中华民族伟大复兴战略全局和世界百年未有之大变局的“两个大局”中，战斗力建设和政治工作的相互作用和相互促进愈益重要，政治对军事的制约不断加强。国际军事博弈的社会制度性、意识形态性和民族国家主权性等错综复杂。为此，要进一步巩固和加强党对军队绝对领导的制度优势，必须要深刻领悟“两个确立”的决定性意义，增强“四个意识”、坚定“四个自信”、做到“两个维护”，必须切实贯彻将军委主席负责制作为最高政治要求来遵守、最高政治纪律来维护。正如研究所强调的，要坚决抵制“军队非党化、非政治化”和“军队国家化”等错误政治观点的影响，坚决听从党中央和中央军委指挥。要按照打赢信息化战争要求，探索政治工作服务生成战斗力的作用机制，把政治工作贯穿到战斗力建设各个环节，融入聚焦打仗全过程，新时代的强军事业才能沿着正确的政治方向前进。

II. The Dialectical Unity of Preparing for War and Being Able to Win Wars

二、备战打仗与能打胜仗的辩证统一

Regarding upholding armed force to stop war, General Secretary Xi Jinping points out: “Only when one is capable of fighting can one stop war; only by preparing to fight is it possible not to have to fight; the less capable one is of fighting, the more likely one is to be beaten.” “We have various means and options to defend peace, maintain security, and deter war, but military means are always the last resort.” This scientifically elucidates the dialectical relationship of mutual interaction and mutual promotion between preparing for war and being able to win wars. Peace and development are the themes of our era. The capability of our military to fight modern wars urgently needs to be strengthened and enhanced; the capability of military commanders at all levels to conduct modern warfare urgently needs to be strengthened and enhanced. History and reality profoundly reveal that the contingency and suddenness of war always exist. Only by truly establishing the thinking of “training for a thousand days to use for a thousand days” [n6] can we forge the military capability to be on standby at all times and ready to fight at any moment.

关于坚持以武止戈，习近平总书记指出：“能战方能止战，准备打才可能不必打，越不能打越可能挨打”，“我们捍卫和平、维护安全、慑止战争的手段和选择有多种多样，但军事手段始终是保底手段。”这科学阐明了备战打仗与能打胜仗的相互作用、相互促进辩证关系。和平与发展是当今时代的主题，我军打现代化战争的能力亟待加强提升，各级军事指挥员的现代化战争能力亟待加强提升。历史和现实深刻揭示了战争的偶然性和突发性始终存在。只有切实把养兵千日、用兵千日的思想树立起来，方能锻造全时待战、随时能战的军事能力。

Globalization is increasingly intensifying the evolution of human society into a risk society. Traditional and non-traditional security threats are interwoven and interact: terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, financial crises, severe natural disasters, climate change, energy and resource security, food security, public health security, etc., are increasingly becoming global problems threatening human survival and the sustainable development of the economy and society. Uncertain and unstable factors in the world development trend are gradually increasing. China is in a critical stage of development for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The people’s military must “uphold armed force to stop war,” always keep the string of preparing for war and fighting taut. A strong country must have a strong military; a strong military must emphasize training. Only in this way can deterrence be formed, thereby effectively responding to crises, forcefully curbing war, and fundamentally winning wars. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC [n7], our military, in accordance with the core requirement of being able to fight and win wars, has reshaped the backbone of combat, honed combat skills, and vigorously advanced realistic combat training and preparation for war. The intensity, the level of the overall framework, and the strictness of standards in military training and preparation for war have all reached new historical heights, achieving new breakthroughs in comprehensively improving the capability of preparing for war and fighting in the New Era. The people’s military has created historic achievements by relying on the courage to fight and the certainty of victory, and it will surely win new glories by relying on the same.

全球化日益加重人类风险社会的演变。传统安全与非传统安全相互交织、相互影响，恐怖主义、大规模杀伤性武器、金融危机、严重自然灾害、气候变化、能源资源安全、粮食安全、公共卫生安全等，日益成为威胁人类生存和经济社会可持续发展的全球性问题。世界发展态势不确定性不稳定性因素逐步增多，我国处于实现中华民族伟大复兴的关键发展阶段，人民军队必须“坚持以武止戈”，时刻绷紧备战打仗这根弦，强国必强军，强军必兴训。唯有如此，才能形成威慑，从而有效应对危机、有力遏制战争和根本赢得战争。党的十八大以来，我军按照能打仗、打胜仗的核心要求，重塑打仗筋骨，练强打仗本领，如火如荼推进实战化练兵备战，练兵备战的力度之大、格局层次之高、标准之严，均达到了历史新高度，在全面提高新时代备战打仗能力上有了新突破。人民军队依靠敢打必胜创造历史伟绩，也必将依靠敢打必胜赢得新的辉煌。

III. The Dialectical Unity of Bottom-Line Thinking and Active Enterprise

三、底线思维与积极进取的辩证统一

Regarding upholding active enterprise, General Secretary Xi Jinping points out: “In the past, we went with the flow, and opportunities were relatively easy to grasp; now we must go against the wind, and the difficulty of grasping opportunities is different. In the past, the general environment was relatively stable, and risks and challenges were relatively easy to see clearly; now the world situation is turbulent and complex, geopolitical challenges are high winds and raging waves, with many hidden reefs and undercurrents, placing higher demands on our ability to respond to changes. In the past, our level of development was low, and we had more complementarity with others; now our level of development has increased, and we have more competition with others.” This incisively points out the dialectical relationship of mutual interaction and mutual promotion between bottom-line thinking and active enterprise. The world is in constant flux; various “black swan” and “gray rhino” events occur from time to time, and various foreseeable and unforeseeable opportunities and challenges overlap and emerge. Challenges are everywhere, and opportunities are unprecedented. In this critical period, we must adhere to bottom-line thinking, be vigilant in times of peace, firmly establish the standard of combat effectiveness, and at the same time turn passivity into initiative, advance despite difficulties, and meet challenges head-on. We must promote military reform, win the initiative amidst crises, and develop strategic opportunities amidst changes.

关于坚持积极进取，习近平总书记指出：“过去我们是顺势而上，机遇比较好把握；现在要顶风而上，把握机遇的难度就不一样了。过去大环境相对平稳，风险挑战比较容易看清楚；现在世界形势动荡复杂，地缘政治挑战风高浪急，暗礁和潜流又多，对应变能力提出了更高要求。过去我们发展水平低，同别人的互补性就多一些；现在我们发展水平提高了，同别人的竞争性就多起来了。”这精辟指出了底线思维和积极进取的相互作用、相互促进辩证关系。世界风云变幻，种种“黑天鹅”“灰犀牛”事件时有发生，各种可预见和不可预见的机遇和挑战叠加出现，挑战无处不在，机遇也前所未有。在这种关键时期，我们必须坚持底线思维，居安思危，树牢战斗力标准，同时化被动为主动，知难而进、迎难而上，推进军队改革，在危机中赢得先机，在变局中开拓发展的战略机遇。

At present, the historical process of realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is unstoppable. It is necessary to coordinate and jointly advance bottom-line thinking and active enterprise. In terms of adhering to the bottom line, the more peaceful the times, the more the military must keep a clear head, using bottom-line thinking to strengthen the military ideological preparation for preparing for war and fighting at any time, ensuring that when encountering risks and challenges, there is invincible combat effectiveness to safeguard the bottom line of national defense and military security. In terms of upholding active enterprise, the world’s new military revolution is advancing with each passing day, and military technology and the form of warfare are undergoing major changes. To win strategic initiative in the field of military competition, safeguard our country’s sovereignty and security, and achieve the stable development of the national economy and society, it is necessary to seek combat effectiveness from innovation, remove all institutional and mechanism obstacles that constrain military development, liberate and develop combat effectiveness, and stimulate the vitality and momentum of national defense and military building. New concepts and new standards must be fully integrated into military practice and various constructions, gradually optimizing the military strategic layout, shaping a favorable strategic posture for military struggle, building a modern Chinese military force system, and ensuring that our military fights the active battle in facing future wars.

当前，实现中华民族伟大复兴的历史进程势不可挡，必须将底线思维和积极进取统筹推进、共同发力。在坚守底线方面，越是和平年代，军队越要保持头脑清醒，以底线思维强化备战打仗、随时打仗的军事思想准备，确保遇到风险挑战时有必胜的战斗力来维护国防和军事安全底线。在坚持积极进取方面，世界新军事革命日新月异，军事技术和战争形态发生重大变化，要在军事竞争领域赢得战略主动权，维护我国主权安全，实现国家经济社会稳定发展，需要向创新要战斗力，破除制约军队发展的一切体制机制障碍，以解放和发展战斗力，激发国防和军队建设的活力动力。将新的理念、新的标准充分融入军事实践和各项建设中，逐步优化军事战略布局，塑造军事斗争的有利战略态势，建成中国现代军事力量体系，确保我军面向未来战争打好主动仗。

IV. The Dialectical Unity of Breakthroughs on Key Points and Holistic Advancement

四、重点突破与整体推进的辩证统一

Regarding upholding overall consideration, General Secretary Xi Jinping points out: “Adhere to the path of building a strong military with Chinese characteristics, comprehensively advance political military building, reform to strengthen the military, science and technology to strengthen the military, talent to strengthen the military, and law-based governance of the military, build the people’s military into a world-class military, and safeguard national sovereignty, security, and development interests with stronger capabilities and more reliable means!” This fully embodies the dialectical relationship of mutual interaction and mutual promotion between breakthroughs on key points and holistic advancement. Adhering to the inherent unity of breakthroughs on key points and holistic advancement is a fine tradition and successful experience of Chinese Communists in inheriting and innovating Marxist materialist dialectics, and it is also a methodological principle for achieving historic achievements and historic changes in the building of a strong military under socialism with Chinese characteristics in the New Era.

关于坚持统筹兼顾，习近平总书记指出：“坚持走中国特色强军之路，全面推进政治建军、改革强军、科技强军、人才强军、依法治军，把人民军队建设成为世界一流军队，以更强大的能力、更可靠的手段捍卫国家主权、安全、发展利益！”这充分体现了重点突破与整体推进的相互作用、相互促进辩证关系。坚持重点突破与整体推进的内在统一，是中国共产党人传承创新马克思主义唯物辩证法的优良传统和成功经验，也是中国特色社会主义新时代强军建设取得历史性成就和历史性变革的方法原则。

Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, General Secretary Xi Jinping, in leading the cause of strengthening the military in the New Era, has taken the path of strengthening the military with Chinese characteristics, comprehensively advancing political army-building, strengthening the military through reform, strengthening the military through science and technology, strengthening the military through talent, and governing the military according to law. Facts have proven that without overall planning there is no efficiency, and without balanced consideration there is no synergy. In the overall situation of realizing the dream of a strong military, it is necessary to balance the coupling and interconnectedness of various aspects, carry out overall planning, implement precise policies, promote the coordinated development of all fields, and steadily advance the modernization of national defense and the armed forces. Among these, political army-building is the fundamental guarantee, giving play to the lifeline role of political work in the military, ensuring the perpetual continuation of the people’s military’s red genes, and thereby forging a new generation of revolutionary troops loyal to and supportive of the Party; strengthening the military through reform is the key measure; to create a modernized strong military capable of winning informationized wars, it is necessary to deepen national defense and military reform, scientifically optimize the military’s scale, structure, and composition, and unswervingly take the path of strengthening the military with Chinese characteristics; strengthening the military through science and technology is the core driving force; basic, forward-looking, and disruptive technological research in informationization and intelligentization should be strengthened, striving to stay at the forefront of the times and gain the initiative in military competition and future wars; the essence of world military competition is competition for first-class talent; talent resources are an important strategic resource for strengthening and revitalizing the military, and the construction of military talent projects must be continuously strengthened; governing the military according to law is the basic guarantee; legal literacy should be improved, legal thinking cultivated, and the regularization of our military pushed toward higher-level development.

党的十八大以来，习近平总书记在领导新时代强军事业中，走中国特色强军之路，全面推进政治建军、改革强军、科技强军、人才强军、依法治军。事实证明，没有统筹就没有高效，没有兼顾就没有合力。在实现强军梦的大局中要兼顾各方面相互间的耦合性和关联性，统筹规划、精准施策、推动各领域协调发展，稳步推进国防和军队现代化建设。其中，政治建军是根本保证，发挥军队政治工作生命线作用，实现人民军队红色基因永续，从而锻造一支忠诚党、拥护党的新一代革命部队；改革强军是关键之招，缔造一支能够打赢信息化战争的现代化强军，必须深入推进国防军队改革，科学优化军队规模结构和编成，坚定不移走中国特色强军之路；科技强军是核心驱动力，应加强信息化、智能化的基础性、前瞻性、颠覆性技术研究，力争走在时代浪潮前列，赢得军事竞争和未来战争主动；世界军事竞争本质是一流人才的竞争，人才资源是强军兴军的重要战略资源，要不断加强军事人才工程建设；依法治军是基本保障，提高法治素养、养成法治思维，推动我军正规化建设向更高水平发展。

V. The Dialectical Unity of Material Conditions and Combat Spirit

五、物质条件与战斗精神的辩证统一

Regarding the insistence on daring to fight and being sure of victory, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “History tells us that war is not only a contest of material forces, but also a contest of spirit. Without tenacious will, without the quality of daring to sacrifice, no amount of good weaponry and equipment can guarantee victory.” This profoundly elucidates the dialectical relationship of mutual interaction and mutual promotion between material conditions and combat spirit. Dialectical materialism holds that matter and spirit are a unity of opposites, with matter being primary and spirit secondary; under certain conditions, the two can transform into each other. On the one hand, material conditions are an important foundation for generating combat effectiveness; to grasp the initiative in winning in modern warfare, it is necessary to insist on making the development of advanced weaponry an important measure for preparing for war and fighting, and to enhance strategic capabilities for responding to future wars. On the other hand, combat spirit can overcome the inadequacy of material conditions and is also an important spiritual source for generating combat effectiveness.

关于坚持敢打必胜，习近平总书记指出：“历史告诉我们，战争不仅是物质的较量，更是精神的比拼。没有顽强的意志，没有敢于牺牲的品质，再好的武器装备也不能保证胜利。”这深刻阐明了物质条件与战斗精神的相互作用、相互促进辩证关系。辩证唯物主义认为，物质和精神是对立统一的，物质第一性，精神第二性，一定条件下两者可以转化。一方面，物质条件是生成战斗力的重要基础，要在现代战争中掌握制胜的主动权，就必须坚持把发展先进武器作为备战打仗的重要举措，提高应对未来战争的战略能力。另一方面，战斗精神能克服物质条件的不足，也是生成战斗力的重要精神来源。

In the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea [n8], the Chinese People’s Volunteers, sacrificing their lives and fighting heroically, created a miracle in the history of modern world warfare, overcoming “more steel but less spirit” with “less steel but more spirit.” In the current era, science and technology are advancing rapidly, new types of equipment are being updated and iterated, and the “steel” of the people’s military has undergone earth-shaking changes. General Secretary Xi Jinping once remarked with emotion: “In the past, we had less steel but more spirit; now that we have more steel, the spirit must be even greater, and the backbone must be even harder.” On the new journey toward a strong country and a strong military, our people’s military must carry forward the combat spirit of “fearing neither hardship nor death,” cultivate the courageous and tenacious, daring-to-fight-and-sure-of-victory blood and guts, and gather a mighty spiritual force for realizing the dream of a strong country and a strong military. No matter how the times change, only when the people’s military possesses military personnel with the “Four Haves” and the “Four Irons” [n9] and strategic sharp weapons that deter and defeat the enemy can it better firmly grasp the initiative in winning and being victorious in the unpredictable future wars.

抗美援朝战争中，志愿军舍生忘死、英勇奋战，创造了世界现代战争史上以“钢少气多”力克“钢多气少”的人间奇迹。当今时代，科学技术日新月异、新型装备更新迭代，人民军队的“钢”发生了翻天覆地变化。习近平总书记曾感慨道：“过去钢少气多，现在钢多了，气要更多，骨头要更硬。”在迈向强国强军新征程上，我们的人民军队要发扬“一不怕苦、二不怕死”的战斗精神，培育勇猛顽强、敢打必胜的血性胆魄，为实现强国强军梦凝聚起磅礴的精神力量。无论时代如何变迁，人民军队唯有具备“四有”“四铁”的军事人才和慑敌制敌的战略利器，方能更好在变幻莫测的未来战争中牢牢掌握打赢制胜的主动权。

(The author is a professor at the “August 1st Spirit Research Center” of Jiangxi Science and Technology Normal University)

（作者系江西科技师范大学“八一精神研究中心”教授）

Online editor: Huihui

网络编辑：慧慧