Deeply Grasp the Major Original Contributions of Comprehensively Building the People's Army into a World-Class Military

A strong country must have a strong military, and only a strong military can ensure national security. President Xi Jinping proposed in the report to the 19th National Congress of the CPC to "comprehensively build the people's army into a world-class military by the mid-21st century," and further stated in the report to the 20th National Congress of the CPC that "achieving the centenary goal of the People's Liberation Army by 2027 and accelerating the building of the people's army into a world-class military are strategic requirements for comprehensively building a modern socialist country." [1]1 The 19th National Congress of the CPC was held in 2017; the 20th National Congress was held in 2022. The centenary goal of the People's Liberation Army refers to the goal of achieving modernization by 2027, the 100th anniversary of the PLA's founding. Comprehensively building the people's army into a world-class military is the epochal coordinate that President Xi Jinping has set for our military's construction and development, based on his vision of using a strong military to support the building of a strong country and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and his profound grasp of the development trends of the world's new military revolution and the laws governing the evolution of the international strategic landscape. This important thesis, rich in connotation and profound in meaning, represents a major innovation in the theory of the people's army's modernization, outlines the grand blueprint for our military's modernization, achieves a value transcendence over the modernization of Western military forces, and manifests our Party's determination and boldness in accelerating the pace of military strengthening. It will inevitably play a huge guiding and driving role in realizing the historic transformation of national defense and military construction from large to strong, and has landmark significance of epoch-making importance.

强国必须强军，军强才能国安。习近平主席在党的十九大报告中提出“到本世纪中叶把人民军队全面建成世界一流军队”，在党的二十大报告中进一步提出“如期实现建军一百年奋斗目标，加快把人民军队建成世界一流军队，是全面建设社会主义现代化国家的战略要求”。全面建成世界一流军队，是习近平主席着眼于以强军支撑强国建设、民族复兴伟业，深刻把握世界新军事革命发展趋势和国际战略格局演变规律，为我军建设发展标定的时代坐标。这一重要论断，内涵丰富、意蕴深刻，是人民军队现代化建设理论的重大创新，擘画了我军现代化的宏伟蓝图，实现了对西方国家军队现代化的价值超越，彰显了我们党加快强军步伐的决心气魄，必将对实现国防和军队建设由大到强的历史性转变发挥巨大的牵引和推动作用，具有划时代的里程碑意义。

Clarifying the New Strategic Goal for Our Military's Construction and Development

明确了我军建设发展新的战略目标

Goals indicate direction, consolidate strength, and guide development. In different historical periods, our Party has advanced with the times in proposing the goals and requirements for the construction and development of the people's army, leading our military's construction to continuously move forward. Since the founding of New China, Comrade Mao Zedong led the formulation of the general policy of building a modernized revolutionary army with good quality; Comrade Deng Xiaoping proposed the general goal of building a powerful, modernized, and regularized revolutionary army; Comrade Jiang Zemin put forward the general requirements of being politically qualified, militarily competent, having fine conduct, strict discipline, and reliable support; Comrade Hu Jintao proposed the important thought of comprehensively strengthening military construction under the principle of integrating revolutionaryization, modernization, and regularization. [2]2 "Revolutionaryization, modernization, and regularization" are the three pillars of the PLA's construction, emphasizing political loyalty, technological and organizational modernization, and standardized procedures. These goals and requirements, conforming to changes in the situation and tasks and in line with national and military conditions, have played a scientifically guiding role in our military's construction and development.

目标昭示方向，凝聚力量，引领发展。在不同历史时期，我们党都与时俱进提出人民军队建设发展的目标要求，引领我军建设不断向前发展。新中国成立以来，毛泽东同志领导制定建设优良的现代化革命军队的总方针，邓小平同志提出建设一支强大的现代化正规化革命军队的总目标，江泽民同志提出政治合格、军事过硬、作风优良、纪律严明、保障有力的总要求，胡锦涛同志提出按照革命化现代化正规化相统一的原则加强军队全面建设的重要思想。这些目标要求，顺应形势任务变化，符合国情军情，对我军建设发展发挥了科学引领作用。

Entering the New Era, how to continuously advance the cause of strengthening the military under the leadership of the Party is a major historic issue. In 2016, President Xi Jinping proposed the goal of "building a world-class military" during his inspection of the National Defense University. In 2017, at the ceremony celebrating the 90th anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army, President Xi Jinping issued the great call to "must accelerate the building of the people's army into a world-class military." In the report to the 19th National Congress of the CPC, President Xi Jinping further pointed out that "the Party's goal of strengthening the military in the New Era is to build a people's army that obeys the Party's command, can fight and win, and has excellent conduct, and to build the people's army into a world-class military," while also proposing to "comprehensively build the people's army into a world-class military by the mid-21st century." Comprehensively building the people's army into a world-class military is a new expansion of the connotation of the goal of strengthening the military and is also the concentrated embodiment and distinctive symbol of the goal of strengthening the military in the New Era. This new strategic goal is both consistent with our Party's thinking on the construction and development of the people's army and a new positioning of our military's construction and development that advances with the times to meet the needs of the new situation and new tasks.

进入新时代，如何在党的领导下把强军事业不断向前推进，是一个重大历史性课题。2016年，习近平主席在视察国防大学时提出“建设世界一流军队”的目标。2017年，在庆祝中国人民解放军建军90周年大会上，习近平主席发出了“必须加快把人民军队建设成为世界一流军队”的伟大号召。在党的十九大报告中，习近平主席进一步指出“党在新时代的强军目标是建设一支听党指挥、能打胜仗、作风优良的人民军队，把人民军队建设成为世界一流军队”，同时提出“到本世纪中叶把人民军队全面建成世界一流军队”。全面建成世界一流军队是对强军目标内涵的新拓展，也是强军目标在新时代的集中体现和鲜明标志。这一新的战略目标既与我们党关于人民军队建设发展的思想一脉相承，又是适应新形势新任务的需要与时俱进对我军建设发展的新定位。

President Xi Jinping's far-reaching planning for comprehensively building the people's army into a world-class military highlights his accurate grasp of the inherent law of the unity of a strong country and a strong military, conforms to the call of the times for the country to move from large to strong and stand tall in the world, and embodies the Chinese nation's dream of a strong military since modern times. "Military affairs are a major matter of the state, a place of life and death, a path of survival or destruction." [3]3 This is a classical Chinese quotation from Sun Tzu's *The Art of War*, emphasizing the critical importance of military affairs to the state. The rise of a great power must be supported by a strong military; this is a universal law repeatedly verified in the history of human civilization development, and also an iron law proven by both positive and negative experiences in the history of Chinese civilization development. The great Han Dynasty, which declared "those who offend the mighty Han, though distant, will be punished," and the prosperous Tang Dynasty, which "controlled the six directions and commanded the myriad barbarians," all possessed mighty and elite armies. [4]4 These are classical Chinese idioms praising the military might of the Han and Tang dynasties, often used to evoke national pride. In contrast, in modern China's contest with Western powers, the weak and feeble military force became the first domino to fall: the Opium War of 1840, where Britain used "strong ships and powerful guns" to shatter the "Celestial Empire" dream of "the one dwelling in the center of the world"; in 1900, the Eight-Nation Alliance mustered fewer than 20,000 troops, yet despite the presence of over 100,000 Qing troops and hundreds of thousands of Boxers in the Beijing-Tianjin area, they could not prevent the fall of Beijing and the indemnity of 450 million taels of silver... [5]5 The Eight-Nation Alliance was a multinational military coalition that invaded China in 1900 to suppress the Boxer Rebellion. The indemnity refers to the Boxer Protocol of 1901. President Xi Jinping has repeatedly recalled these "piercing pains" of modern Chinese history: "Once military backwardness takes shape, its impact on national security will be fatal. I often read some historical materials of modern China, and whenever I see the tragic scenes of backwardness and being beaten, I feel an excruciating pain deep in my heart!"

习近平主席关于全面建成世界一流军队的深远筹谋，凸显了对强国与强军相统一内在规律的准确把握，顺应了国家由大向强、屹立世界的时代呼唤，凝聚了中华民族近代以来的强军梦想。“兵者，国之大事，死生之地，存亡之道”。大国的兴盛必须有强大军队的支撑，这是人类文明发展史上被反复印证的通律，也是中华文明发展史上正反两方面经验所证明了的铁律。“明犯强汉者，虽远必诛”的大汉，“横制六合，骏奔百蛮”的盛唐，皆拥有雄师劲旅。而近代中国在与西方列强的较量中，孱弱不堪的军事力量成为最先倒下的那块“多米诺骨牌”：1840年的鸦片战争，英国用“坚船利炮”，击碎了“居天地之中者曰中国”的“天朝上国”迷梦；1900年，八国联军拼凑起来的兵力不足两万，而京畿一带纵有十几万清军、几十万义和团之众，仍无法阻止北京陷落和赔款白银四万万五千万两……习近平主席曾反复提起中国近代史上这一次次“锥心之痛”：“军事上的落后一旦形成，对国家安全的影响将是致命的。我经常看中国近代的一些史料，一看到落后挨打的悲惨情景就痛彻肺腑！”

The Communist Party of China, which gathers the advanced elements of the Chinese nation, and the people's army under its leadership, have bravely shouldered the historic task of realizing the dream of a strong country and a strong military since their inception. President Xi Jinping pointed out: "The Chinese nation's emergence from hardship and the Chinese people's liberation depend on a heroic people's army; for the Chinese nation to achieve great rejuvenation and the Chinese people to realize a better life, we must accelerate the building of the people's army into a world-class military." Over the past nearly hundred years, the people's army has acted and fought under the Party's banner, kept in mind its original aspiration and founding mission, forever preserved its nature and purpose, cut through thorns and brambles all the way, won one brilliant victory after another, and established outstanding and immortal merits for national independence and people's liberation, for national prosperity and people's happiness. Today, our country is in a critical period of transitioning from large to strong. Facing unavoidable risks and challenges, and the bumps and hurdles that cannot be bypassed in realizing the great national rejuvenation, our military must obey and serve the Party's historical mission, accurately grasp the national security strategic needs of the New Era, provide strategic support for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and always be a heroic army that the Party and the people can fully trust.

汇聚了中华民族先进分子的中国共产党及其领导下的人民军队自诞生之日起，就勇敢担起了实现强国强军梦的历史重任。习近平主席指出：“中华民族走出苦难、中国人民实现解放，有赖于一支英雄的人民军队；中华民族实现伟大复兴，中国人民实现更加美好生活，必须加快把人民军队建设成为世界一流军队。”近百年来，人民军队在党的旗帜下行动和战斗，牢记初心使命，永葆性质宗旨，一路披荆斩棘，取得一个又一个辉煌胜利，为民族独立和人民解放、为国家富强和人民幸福建立了彪炳史册的卓著功勋。如今，我国正处于由大向强的关键时期。面对无法回避的风险挑战，面对实现伟大民族复兴绕不过的沟沟坎坎，我军必须服从服务于党的历史使命，准确把握新时代国家安全战略需求，为实现中华民族伟大复兴提供战略支撑，始终做党和人民完全可以信赖的英雄军队。

President Xi Jinping's first-time positioning of our military's construction and development strategic goal as world-class is a top-level design made to grasp the development trends of world military affairs and seize the initiative in military competition, and it is also the latest summary of the practical experience of our military's strengthening and revitalization in the New Era, demonstrating the determination and confidence in building a strong people's army. With the deepening of the new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation, the world's new military revolution is accelerating, with a speed, scope, depth, and impact rarely seen since the end of World War II. History shows that every military revolution becomes a watershed for the growth or decline of various countries' military strength and even their comprehensive national power. Major countries in the world, with the main goal of reshaping their military systems, are adjusting their military organizational forms and accelerating military transformation. In a hundred boats racing, the one that rows hard advances; in midstream striking the water, the one that bravely forges ahead wins. [6]6 This is a Chinese four-character idiom and a classical allusion, meaning that in fierce competition, only the most diligent and courageous succeed.

习近平主席首次将我军建设发展的战略目标定位为世界一流，是把握世界军事发展趋势、抢占军事竞争主动权作出的顶层设计，也是对新时代我军强军兴军实践经验的最新概括，彰显了建设强大人民军队的决心信心。随着新一轮科技革命和产业变革深入发展，世界新军事革命正在加速推进，其速度之快、范围之广、程度之深、影响之大，为第二次世界大战结束以来所罕见。历史表明，每一次军事革命都会成为各国军事实力消长乃至综合国力盛衰的分水岭。世界各主要国家以重塑军事体系为主要目标，纷纷调整军队组织形态，加紧推进军事转型。百舸争流，奋楫者先；中流击水，勇进者胜。

Opportunities slip away quickly; if seized, one can ride the momentum upward; if missed, one may miss an entire era. We must accelerate the promotion of military reform with Chinese characteristics, narrow the gap in military strength with the world's powerful countries, and strive to grasp the strategic initiative in military competition. The new military revolution and the practice of strengthening the military in the New Era provide a golden historical opportunity and favorable conditions for our military to comprehensively build itself into a world-class military. On the one hand, our military can rely on the country's strong comprehensive national power and robust development momentum, seize the historical opportunity of the new military revolution to achieve curve overtaking and lane changing overtaking, and accelerate the enhancement of military strength. [7]7 "Curve overtaking" is a Chinese political metaphor for surpassing competitors by taking advantage of a strategic opportunity, such as a technological revolution. On the other hand, after long-term construction and development, especially the strenuous efforts since the New Era, the people's army has marched forward under the guidance of Xi Jinping's thought on strengthening the military, achieving historic accomplishments and undergoing historic changes, laying a solid foundation for striving to become world-class. Confidence comes from strength, from the grasp of the correct development direction, and also from a clear understanding of oneself. From the actual situation, our military still faces severe challenges; the problems of "insufficient capabilities in two aspects" and "large gaps in two areas" have not been completely resolved, making the construction of a strong military more urgent. [8]8 "Two capabilities insufficient" and "two gaps large" are internal PLA assessments: insufficient capability to fight and win modern wars, and insufficient capability to perform diversified military tasks; a large gap with advanced world militaries in military theory and technology, and a large gap in the quality of personnel and organizational structure. Only by planning according to the situation, responding to the situation, and acting in accordance with the trend can we catch up with the current, keep pace with the times, and walk at the forefront of the times. Establishing the strategic goal of comprehensively building the people's army into a world-class military effectively stimulates the passion of all officers and soldiers to strive and forge ahead, gathers the mighty force to tackle difficulties, and promotes the cause of strengthening the military to achieve new leaps.

机遇稍纵即逝，抓住了就能乘势而上，抓不住就可能错过整整一个时代。我们必须加快推进中国特色军事变革，缩小同世界强国在军事实力上的差距，努力掌握军事竞争战略主动权。新军事革命和新时代强军实践为我军全面建成世界一流军队提供了千载难逢的历史机遇和有利条件。一方面，我军可以依托国家雄厚实力和强劲发展势头，抓住新军事革命历史机遇实现弯道超车、换道超车，加快增强军事实力。另一方面，经过长期建设发展尤其是新时代以来的砥砺奋进，人民军队在习近平强军思想引领下阔步前行，取得了历史性成就、发生了历史性变革，为争创世界一流奠定了坚实基础。信心来自底气，来自对正确发展方向的把握，也来自对自身的清醒认识。从实际情况看，我军依然面临严峻挑战，“两个能力不够”“两个差距很大”的问题还没有得到完全解决，建设强大军队更加紧迫。只有因势而谋、应势而动、顺势而为，才能赶上潮流、赶上时代，走在时代前列。建立起全面建成世界一流军队的战略目标，有效激发全军官兵奋斗奋进的豪情，凝聚向难攻坚的磅礴力量，推进强军事业实现新跨越。

Realizing a Major Innovation in the Theory of the People's Army's Modernization

实现了人民军队现代化建设理论的重大创新

With the development of productive forces, the continuous improvement of combat tools, and the increasing demands on the quality of military personnel, the task of building a modernized army has been historically placed on the agenda. If this issue is neglected, one will inevitably be in a passive position in war, or even suffer defeat. As early as the 1850s, Engels proposed building an army and commanding operations according to the concept of "modern," arguing that to win in modern warfare, new material means and new methods of warfare must be sought. Engels also systematically studied the history and current situation of many countries' armies, putting forward the important idea that the prerequisite for modern methods of warfare is "the degree of wealth and culture associated with this stage of social development, which are also the necessary conditions for ensuring that a modern army has the necessary quantity of weapons, ammunition, food and other materials, for training the necessary number of competent officers, and for the soldiers themselves to acquire the necessary intelligence." [9]9 Friedrich Engels, "Possibilities and Prerequisites for the War of the European Powers," *Collected Works of Marx and Engels*, Vol. 11, p. 468.

随着生产力的发展，作战工具的不断改进，以及对军人素质要求的日益提高，建设现代化军队的任务历史地被提了出来。如果忽视这个问题，必然会在战争中处于被动地位，乃至遭到失败。早在19世纪50年代，恩格斯就提出了要按照“现代”的概念来建设军队和指挥作战，认为要在现代战争中取得胜利，必须寻求新的物质手段和新的作战方法。恩格斯还系统研究了许多国家军队的历史和现状，提出了现代的作战方法前提是“与社会发展的这个阶段相联系的富裕程度和文化程度，同样是保证现代军队有必要数量的武器、弹药、粮食等物资，培养必要数量的有素养的军官，以及士兵本身获得必要智力所必需的条件”等重要思想。

At the time of its founding, the people's army was very weak, its weapons and equipment extremely crude, relying mainly on battlefield captures, while army building was also in its initial stage. Comrade Mao Zedong pointed out: "Reforming the military system cannot be separated from modernization." [10]10 Mao Zedong, "On Coalition Government," *Selected Works of Mao Zedong*, Vol. 3. In *Problems of War and Strategy*, he proposed that after equipping with new weapons, "the army and warfare will undergo a major transformation," and "the low-level will change to the high-level, the Chinese type will change to the world type." [11]11 Mao Zedong, "Problems of War and Strategy," *Selected Works of Mao Zedong*, Vol. 2. After the founding of New China, the construction of the People's Liberation Army entered a new stage of development. The establishment of the people's political power both raised new requirements for military modernization and provided practical feasibility for realizing these requirements. In long-term practice, our Party has adhered to integrating the basic principles of Marxism with the practice of people's army building, forming a theory of army building with Chinese characteristics, and our army's modernization has made considerable progress.

人民军队创建之初，力量非常弱小，武器装备极其简陋，主要靠战场缴获，同时，军队建设也处于初级阶段。毛泽东同志指出：“革新军制离不了现代化”。他在《战争和战略问题》中提出，装备了新式武器之后，“军队和作战将要起一个大的变革”“低级的将变到高级的，中国型的将变到世界型的”。新中国成立以后，人民解放军建设进入新的发展阶段。人民政权的建立，既对军队现代化建设提出了新要求，也为实现这一要求提供了现实可行性。在长期实践中，我们党坚持把马克思主义基本原理同人民军队建设实践相结合，形成了具有中国特色的军队建设理论，我军现代化建设取得了长足进步。

Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, President Xi Jinping has incorporated military modernization into the overall strategic layout of Chinese-path modernization, put forward the new strategic goal of comprehensively building a world-class military, and made a series of important expositions around achieving this goal, profoundly revealing the internal connections and interactions among various fields, aspects, and elements of military modernization, creatively developing the theory of people's army modernization.

党的十八大以来，习近平主席把军队现代化纳入中国式现代化战略全局，提出了全面建成世界一流军队这一新的战略目标，并围绕实现这一目标作出一系列重要论述，深刻揭示了军队现代化各领域各方面各要素的内在联系与相互作用，创造性发展了人民军队现代化建设理论。

Making new strategic arrangements for military modernization. The realization of any great dream is achieved under the guidance of scientific strategic arrangements. Strategic arrangements define the goals, development steps, and realization paths of a historical period. Emphasizing strategic arrangements and being adept at long-term planning are distinctive features and strategic advantages of our Party and our army. In 1997, after the 15th National Congress of the CPC, the Party Central Committee and the Central Military Commission established the "three-step" development strategy for national defense and army building: first, by 2010, lay a solid foundation for the modernization of national defense and the army; second, during the second decade of the 21st century, achieve a relatively large development in the modernization of national defense and the army; third, by the middle of the 21st century, basically realize the modernization of national defense and the army. [12]12 The "three-step" strategy for national defense and army modernization was formally established at the 15th National Congress of the CPC in 1997. In 2017, President Xi Jinping proposed new strategic arrangements for national defense and army modernization at the 19th National Congress of the CPC, advancing the goal of "basically realizing the modernization of national defense and the army by the middle of the 21st century" to 2035, while also proposing "to comprehensively build the people's army into a world-class military by the middle of this century." [13]13 The 19th National Congress of the CPC was held in October 2017. Not only was the time node significantly advanced, but the connotation and standards also underwent a qualitative leap. The Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee further enriched the objectives, tasks, and development steps, clearly stating "to ensure the realization of the centenary goal of army building by 2027." [14]14 The Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee was held in October 2020. This formed a new "three-step" strategic arrangement for national defense and army modernization: by 2027, by 2035, and then by the middle of this century. This series of strategic plans, from a higher strategic perspective and broader strategic space, clearly depicts the grand blueprint for comprehensively promoting military modernization, with near-, medium-, and long-term goals advancing step by step in an orderly and connected manner, highly consistent with the "roadmap" of the national modernization process, reflecting the requirement that military capabilities adapt to the strategic needs of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, making the vision of strengthening the military and building a world-class military clearer.

作出军队现代化新的战略安排。任何伟大梦想的实现，都是在科学的战略安排指导下取得的。战略安排规定了一个历史时期的奋斗目标、发展步骤和实现路径。注重战略安排、善于长远谋划是我党我军的鲜明特色与战略优势。1997年，党的十五大之后，党中央、中央军委确立了国防和军队建设“三步走”发展战略，即：第一步，到2010年，为国防和军队现代化打下坚实的基础；第二步，21世纪的第二个十年，使国防和军队现代化建设有一个较大发展；第三步，到21世纪中叶，基本实现国防和军队现代化。2017年，习近平主席在党的十九大上提出国防和军队现代化新的战略安排，将“到21世纪中叶，基本实现国防和军队现代化”的目标提前到2035年实现，同时提出“到本世纪中叶把人民军队全面建成世界一流军队”。不仅时间节点大大提前，而且内涵标准都有质的跃升。党的十九届五中全会进一步充实了目标任务和发展步骤，明确提出“确保二〇二七年实现建军百年奋斗目标”。这形成了到2027年、到2035年、再到本世纪中叶国防和军队现代化新“三步走”战略安排。这一系列战略谋划，从更高的战略视野和更广的战略空间，清晰描绘了全面推进军队现代化建设的宏伟蓝图，近、中、远目标梯次推进、有序衔接，与国家现代化进程“路线图”高度契合，体现了军事能力同实现中华民族伟大复兴的战略需求相适应的要求，使实现强军、建成世界一流军队的图景更加清晰。

Endowing military modernization with new contemporary connotations. The concept of modernization is dynamic and evolving, with different connotations in different historical periods. In the 1950s, the main goal of our army's modernization development was to achieve mechanization. Since the 1990s, the main focus has been on building an informationized military and winning informationized wars. Now, intelligent technology clusters represented by artificial intelligence, machine learning, and cloud computing are continuously penetrating the military field, and the characteristics of intelligent warfare are increasingly evident. In July 2020, when presiding over the 22nd collective study session of the Political Bureau of the 19th CPC Central Committee, President Xi Jinping proposed that it is necessary to "accelerate the integrated development of mechanization, informatization, and intelligentization." [15]15 The 22nd collective study session of the Political Bureau of the 19th CPC Central Committee was held on July 30, 2020. This important exposition conforms to the major trend of world military intelligent development and fits the actual situation of our army's construction and development. Considering the current state of our army, if we proceed step by step, completing informatization before moving to intelligentization, we will open a new technological gap with the armies of developed countries; shifting the construction focus entirely to intelligentization, hoping to achieve it in one step, is also unrealistic. Mechanization, informatization, and intelligentization originated in different eras; the former gives birth to the latter, and the latter transforms the former. The "three modernizations" overlap, permeate, and support each other. This requires our army to adhere to taking mechanization as the foundation, informatization as the leading factor, and intelligentization as the direction, accelerate the integrated development of mechanization, informatization, and intelligentization, accelerate the transformation from sequential development to integrated advancement of the "three modernizations," and from point-like accumulation to systemic breakthrough, developing highly developed mechanization and higher-level informatization in the process of advancing intelligentization, leading the transformation and upgrading of military modernization.

赋予军队现代化新的时代内涵。现代化概念是动态发展的，不同历史时期有不同内涵。20世纪50年代，我军现代化发展目标主要是实现机械化。20世纪90年代以来，主要是建设信息化军队、打赢信息化战争。现在，以人工智能、机器学习、云计算等为代表的智能技术群正在不断向军事领域渗透，智能化战争特征日益显现。2020年7月，习近平主席在主持十九届中共中央政治局第二十二次集体学习时提出，必须“加快机械化信息化智能化融合发展”。这一重要论述，顺应了世界军事智能化发展的重大趋势，契合了我军建设发展的实际。从我军现状看，如果按部就班在完成信息化后再进行智能化，就会与发达国家军队拉开新的代差；把建设重点全面转向智能化，企望一步到位也是不现实的。机械化、信息化、智能化起源于不同时代，前者孕育后者、后者改造前者，“三化”相互叠加、相互渗透、相互支撑。这就要求我军坚持以机械化为基础、信息化为主导、智能化为方向，加快机械化、信息化、智能化融合发展，加快实现由“三化”梯次发展向融合并进、由点状积累向体系突破转变，在推进智能化进程中发展高度发达的机械化和更高水平的信息化，引领军队现代化转型升级。

Clarifying the new development theme of military modernization. High-quality development is the hard truth of the New Era and the primary task of comprehensively building a modern socialist country. As an important part of Chinese-path modernization, to advance the modernization of national defense and the army and comprehensively build a world-class military, it is necessary to actively adapt to the historical changes in the development stage and prioritize high-quality development. Development without quality, no matter how much is achieved, is useless; some even become burdens and liabilities for the troops, causing great waste. Currently, our army's construction is in a critical stage of improving quality and increasing efficiency. Developing too slowly is not acceptable, and low quality is even less acceptable. There is an urgent need to strengthen strategic resolve, transform development concepts, innovate development models, and enhance development momentum. Fully, accurately, and comprehensively implement the new development philosophy, adhere to the strategic guidance of the "five greater emphases" — placing greater emphasis on focusing on actual combat, on innovation-driven development, on system-of-systems building, on intensive and efficient development, and on military-civilian integration — and advance all construction with high standards and high starting points. Plan and advance all work around the strategic layout of strengthening the military and rejuvenating the armed forces, adhere to political army 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, continuously improving the overall level of army building. Coordinate and improve the quality of fighting, the quality of construction, and the level of preparedness, adhere to leading construction with warfare and promoting construction with preparedness, ensuring that all work and construction, as well as all forces and resources, always focus on and serve military struggle preparation, accelerating the formation of a good situation where warfare, construction, and preparedness advance as one. Comprehensively strengthen military governance, build a modern military governance system, improve modern military governance capabilities, and promote the high-quality development of our army with high-level governance. These ideas are major innovations in the concepts and models of military modernization, which will inevitably lead our army to achieve higher quality, higher efficiency, and more sustainable development, achieve a new leap in national defense strength with new development achievements, and accelerate the building of a world-class military.

明确军队现代化新的发展主题。高质量发展是新时代的硬道理，是全面建设社会主义现代化国家的首要任务。作为中国式现代化的重要组成部分，推进国防和军队现代化，全面建成世界一流军队，必须主动适应发展阶段的历史性变化，把高质量发展放在首位。没有质量的发展，搞得再多也不管用，有些甚至成为部队包袱和累赘，造成很大浪费。当前，我军建设正处在提质增效的关键阶段，发展慢了不行，质量不高更不行，迫切需要坚定战略定力、转变发展理念、创新发展模式、增强发展动能。完整、准确、全面贯彻新发展理念，坚持更加注重聚焦实战、更加注重创新驱动、更加注重体系建设、更加注重集约高效、更加注重军民融合等“五个更加注重”战略指导，高标准高起点推进各项建设。围绕强军兴军战略布局谋划和推进各项工作，坚持政治建军、改革强军、科技强军、人才强军、依法治军，不断提高军队建设整体水平。统筹提高战的能力、建的质量、备的水平，坚持以战领建、以备促建，各项工作和建设、各方面力量和资源始终聚焦军事斗争准备、服务军事斗争准备，加快形成战、建、备一体推进的良好局面。全面加强军事治理，构建现代军事治理体系，提高现代军事治理能力，以高水平治理推动我军高质量发展。这些思想是军队现代化建设理念和模式的重大创新，必将引领我军实现更高质量、更高效益、更可持续的发展，以新的发展成就实现国防实力新的跃升，加快建成世界一流军队。

Establishing new standards for military modernization. The standard of a “world-class military” embodies the universal understanding of a world-class military and must comprehensively reflect the common characteristics of such a force. Therefore, measuring whether a military has reached world-class status requires not only a vertical comparison with its own past but also placing the standard of a strong military on the global military stage for assessment, grasping and planning it within the broader landscape of contemporary world military competition, and making horizontal comparisons with foreign militaries, especially the most powerful ones. A “world-class military” takes top-tier global indicators as its benchmark, focuses on the center stage and the forefront of the track in world military competition, and clarifies the standards for military modernization from a broader strategic perspective and strategic space: it must be commensurate with China’s status as a major power, be capable of comprehensively and effectively safeguarding national security, and possess strong international influence; not only weaponry, organizational forms, and combat systems, but also military theory, personnel training, and training levels must all aim for world-class standards; it must achieve both a “strength of leapfrogging” through accelerated transformation and continuous self-renewal, and a “strength of surpassing” in contending with world powers and winning international competition.

确立军队现代化新的建设标准。“世界一流军队”的标准，蕴含关于世界一流军队的普遍认知，必须综合体现世界一流军队的共性。因此，衡量是否达到世界一流不仅要与自己进行纵向比较，更要把强军标准放到世界军事大舞台上来评估，放到当今世界军事竞争大格局中来把握和筹划，以外军特别是实力最强的军队为参照系进行横向比较。“世界一流军队”以世界顶级指标为参照，聚焦世界军事竞争的舞台中心和赛道最前沿，从更宏阔的战略视野和战略空间，明确了军队现代化建设的标准：既要同我国强国地位相称，又要能够全面有效维护国家安全，还要具备强大的国际影响力；不仅武器装备、组织形态、作战体系，而且军事理论、人才队伍、训练水平等都要瞄准世界一流水平；既要实现加快转型发展、不断自我革新的“跨越之强”，也要实现与世界强手抗衡、赢得国际竞争的“超越之强”。

A value transcendence over the modernization of the militaries of Western military powers

对西方军事强国军队现代化的价值超越

As an accompaniment to war, the military is a formal armed organization established to prepare for and wage war, and it is the main body of a nation’s armed forces. Therefore, researching and exploring how to adapt military construction to the needs of war has always been an important topic of concern for politicians, military strategists, and military commanders both in China and abroad. A survey of world military history shows that Western military powers often emphasize relying on powerful military force to subdue opponents, even embarking on a path of external expansion and plunder. The People’s Army, having traversed a glorious journey of nearly a century, has never initiated any war or conflict, nor has it ever occupied a single inch of another country’s territory. History and reality fully demonstrate that the world-class status of the People’s Army and that of the militaries of Western military powers are fundamentally different in terms of their goals and objectives, achieving a value transcendence. China’s comprehensive building of a world-class military is not for the purpose of seeking hegemony, engaging in power politics, or pursuing aggression and expansion, but rather for maintaining regional stability and world peace, and promoting the development of the global governance system in a more just and reasonable direction. It is a guarantee for world peace and an increase in the forces of human civilization and progress.

军队作为战争的伴随物，是为准备和实施战争而建立的正规的武装组织，是国家武装力量的主体。因此，研究和探讨怎样适应战争需要加强军队建设，历来是中外政治家、军事家和军队统帅们关注的一个重要课题。纵览世界军事史，西方军事强国往往强调依靠强大的军事力量使对手屈服，甚至走向对外扩张掠夺的道路。走过近百年光辉历程的人民军队，从未主动挑起过任何一场战争和冲突，也从未侵占别国一寸土地。历史与现实充分表明，人民军队的世界一流和西方军事强国军队的世界一流具有目标追求上的本质区别，并实现了价值超越。中国全面建成世界一流军队，不是为了谋取霸权，不是为了搞强权政治和侵略扩张，而是为了维护地区稳定与世界和平，推动全球治理体系向更加公正合理的方向发展，是对世界和平的保障，是人类文明进步力量的增长。

This value transcendence stems from the fact that our military must unwaveringly uphold the Party’s absolute leadership. President Xi Jinping pointed out: “With the Communist Party of China, with the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China, the People’s Army has direction and strength in its advance.” The fundamental principle and system of the Party’s absolute leadership over the military originated with the Nanchang Uprising, was established at the Sanwan Reorganization, and was finalized at the Gutian Congress. It is the political trait and fundamental advantage that completely distinguishes the People’s Army from all old-style armies. Looking back at the magnificent history of the People’s Army’s development, the fundamental source of strength enabling our military to rise with greater vigor from setbacks, forge ahead courageously in hardship, and become an indestructible, invincible steel force lies in ideological guidance and the forging of the military’s soul. Realizing the Party’s goal of building a strong military in the New Era and comprehensively building our military into a world-class force is a pioneering undertaking and a broad and profound military transformation. Only by unwaveringly upholding the Party’s absolute leadership over the People’s Army can our military always maintain its correct direction, path, and fundamental character, continuously conquer the “Loushan Pass” and “Lazikou” [16]16 Loushan Pass and Lazikou are two strategically important mountain passes on the Long March, often used metaphorically in Party discourse to represent formidable obstacles or critical junctures in a difficult struggle. on the road ahead, and actively explore a path for building a world-class military that is rich in Chinese characteristics and embodies Eastern wisdom.

这一价值超越源于我军必须毫不动摇坚持党的绝对领导。习近平主席指出：“有了中国共产党，有了中国共产党的坚强领导，人民军队前进就有方向、有力量。”党对军队绝对领导的根本原则和制度，发端于南昌起义，奠基于三湾改编，定型于古田会议，是人民军队完全区别于一切旧军队的政治特质和根本优势。回顾人民军队波澜壮阔的发展史，我军之所以能在挫折中愈加奋起，在困苦中勇往直前，铸就拖不垮、打不烂、攻无不克、战无不胜的钢铁雄师，思想引领、铸牢军魂，是根本力量所在。实现党在新时代的强军目标、把我军全面建成世界一流军队，是一项开拓性的事业，是一场广泛而深刻的军事变革。只有毫不动摇坚持党对人民军队的绝对领导，我军才能始终保持方向不改、道路不偏、本色不变，才能不断征服前进路上的“娄山关”“腊子口”，积极探索出富有中国特色且蕴含东方智慧的世界一流军队建设路子。

This value transcendence stems from the fact that our military must always adhere to the people’s standpoint. The people’s standpoint is the fundamental political stance of our military and a distinctive marker that distinguishes the People’s Army from the armed forces of other countries. At the conference celebrating the 90th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Liberation Army, President Xi Jinping emphasized: “As long as we always stand on the people’s standpoint and win the heartfelt support of the vast majority of the people, we can build an impregnable fortress of unity.” In today’s world, deficits in peace, development, security, and governance are increasing rather than decreasing. Seeking peace, promoting development, and achieving a better life are the aspirations of the Chinese people and a consensus among the peoples of the world. Only by adhering to the people’s standpoint, keeping in mind the fundamental purpose of serving the people wholeheartedly, and always being the people’s own army at all times and under all circumstances, can we consistently uphold the correct value pursuit and safeguard the peace of the land and the happiness of the people.

这一价值超越源于我军必须始终坚守人民立场。人民立场是我军的根本政治立场，是人民军队区别于其他国家武装力量的显著标志。在庆祝中国人民解放军建军90周年大会上，习近平主席强调：“只要始终站在人民立场上，赢得最广大人民衷心拥护，就能构筑起众志成城的铜墙铁壁。”当今世界，和平赤字、发展赤字、安全赤字、治理赤字有增无减。求和平促发展、实现更加美好的生活是中国人民的心愿，也是世界人民的共识。只有坚守人民立场，牢记全心全意为人民服务的根本宗旨，任何时候任何情况下都做人民子弟兵，才能始终秉持正确的价值追求，才能守护山河无恙、人民幸福。

This value transcendence stems from our military’s effective fulfillment of its missions and tasks in the New Era. Marx and Engels wrote in *The German Ideology*: “As a determinate person, a real person, you have a determination, you have a mission, you have a task” and “this task arises from your needs and their connection with the existing world.” The People’s Army is an armed group that executes the Party’s political tasks; the Party’s central tasks determine the military’s missions and tasks. During the New Democratic Revolution period, the Party defined the “three major tasks” of the military: fighting, raising funds, and doing mass work. During the period of socialist revolution and construction, our military shouldered the mission of “defending the fruits of the people’s revolution and national construction, and defending the nation’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and security.” During the new period of reform and opening up and socialist modernization, our military undertook the tasks of “consolidating national defense, resisting aggression, defending the motherland, protecting the people’s peaceful labor, participating in national construction, and striving to serve the people.” Throughout its journey, the People’s Army has grown in battle, innovated through inheritance, and developed through construction, excellently fulfilling the various tasks assigned by the Party and the people. The Communist Party of China takes as its mission both seeking rejuvenation for the Chinese nation and making greater contributions to human progress. Entering the New Era of socialism with Chinese characteristics, President Xi Jinping, with historical vision and a global perspective, endowed the People’s Army with the mission of “four strategic supports”: providing strategic support for consolidating the leadership of the Communist Party of China and the socialist system; providing strategic support for defending national sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity; providing strategic support for safeguarding national overseas interests; and providing strategic support for promoting world peace and development. Currently, the world is undergoing changes unseen in a century, with international competition over the redistribution of power and interests intensifying markedly. Competition over the rules of global governance, regional leadership, development paths, and military superiority is becoming more acute. The fiercer the competition, the more arduous the task of maintaining world peace and development. Peace must be backed by strong power; the ability to win wars is essential for effectively deterring war and ensuring peace. Comprehensively building the People’s Army into a world-class military will undoubtedly add more important weight and play a greater role in creating an international security environment of peace, stability, equality, mutual trust, and win-win cooperation, becoming a “ballast stone” for maintaining world peace.

这一价值超越源于我军有效履行新时代使命任务。马克思、恩格斯在《德意志意识形态》中写道：“作为确定的人，现实的人，你就有规定，就有使命，就有任务”“这个任务是由于你的需要及其与现存世界的联系而产生的”。人民军队是执行党的政治任务的武装集团，党的中心任务决定军队使命任务。新民主主义革命时期，党明确我军打仗、筹款子、做群众工作“三大任务”。社会主义革命和建设时期，我军肩负起“保卫人民革命和国家建设的成果，保卫国家的主权、领土完整和安全”的使命。改革开放和社会主义现代化建设新时期，我军担负“巩固国防，抵抗侵略，保卫祖国，保卫人民的和平劳动，参加国家建设事业，努力为人民服务”的任务。一路走来，人民军队在战斗中成长，在继承中创新，在建设中发展，出色完成党和人民赋予的各项任务。中国共产党既把为中华民族谋复兴作为自己的使命，也把为人类进步作出更大贡献作为自己的使命。进入中国特色社会主义新时代，习近平主席以历史眼光、全球视野，赋予人民军队“四个战略支撑”的使命任务，即为巩固中国共产党领导和社会主义制度提供战略支撑，为捍卫国家主权、统一、领土完整提供战略支撑，为维护国家海外利益提供战略支撑，为促进世界和平与发展提供战略支撑。当前，世界正面临百年未有之大变局，围绕权力和利益再分配的国际较量明显加剧，全球治理的规则之争、地区主导权之争、发展道路之争、军事优势之争更加激烈。竞争越激烈，维护世界和平与发展的任务就越艰巨。和平必须以强大实力为后盾，能打赢才能有力遏制战争、确保和平。把人民军队全面建成世界一流军队，必将为营造和平稳定、平等互信、合作共赢的国际安全环境增添更为重要的砝码、发挥更大作用，成为维护世界和平的“压舱石”。

(The author is a professor at the School of Basic Education for Military and Political Affairs, National University of Defense Technology)

（作者为国防科技大学军政基础教育学院教授）

Online editor: Tongxin

网络编辑：同心