Seizing the Opportunity of Implementing the Newly Revised National Defense Education Law to Rally the Mighty Force of Patriotism and a Strong Military

National defense is the security guarantee for a nation’s survival and development, and a fundamental plan concerning the life or death of the nation and its people. To build a strong national defense, it is inseparable from the comprehensive popularization of national defense education for the entire people and the steady improvement of the entire people’s national defense literacy. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: “We must strengthen national defense education for the entire people, consolidate military-civilian unity, and rally a mighty force for realizing the Chinese Dream and the dream of a strong military!”[1]1 "Five full coverages" (五个全覆盖): A policy goal referring to comprehensive coverage of national defense education across all regions, all levels of government, all schools, all enterprises and institutions, and all communities. Under the guidance of Xi Jinping’s thought on strengthening the military, the newly revised *National Defense Education Law of the People’s Republic of China* has been formally promulgated, further clarifying the connotation, orientation, and guiding ideology of national defense education, expanding its coverage scope, methods, and channels, and improving its institutional mechanisms and safeguard measures. This is of great and far-reaching significance for promoting the spirit of patriotism in the New Era, effectively enhancing the entire people’s national defense awareness and literacy, and jointly consolidating the spiritual Great Wall of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

国防是国家生存与发展的安全保障，是关系国家和民族生死存亡的根本大计。要建设强大的国防，离不开全民国防教育的全面普及，离不开全民国防素养的稳步提升。习近平总书记强调：“要加强全民国防教育，巩固军政军民团结，为实现中国梦强军梦凝聚强大力量！”在习近平强军思想指导下，新修订的《中华人民共和国国防教育法》正式出台，进一步明确了国防教育的内涵定位、指导思想，拓展了国防教育的覆盖范围、方法渠道，完善了国防教育的体制机制、保障措施，对在新时代弘扬爱国主义精神、切实增强全民国防意识和国防素养，共同筑牢中华民族伟大复兴的精神长城，具有重大而深远的意义。

At present, changes unseen in a century are accelerating across the world, external risks and challenges are markedly increasing, and traditional security threats and non-traditional security threats are interwoven, making the importance of strengthening national defense education even more prominent. In particular, Shanghai, as an international metropolis, is the forefront of reform and opening up; its geographical location, economic status, and strategic value are irreplaceable. In the overall situation of deepening national defense education for the entire people, it shoulders a special mission and significant responsibility. We must further deepen our ideological understanding, effectively enhance the political, ideological, and action consciousness of doing a good job in national defense education for the entire people, and promote the implementation and realization of the various requirements of the National Defense Education Law from a higher standpoint, a broader perspective, and a larger framework, so as to stimulate and rally the mighty force of the whole society caring about national defense, loving national defense, building national defense, and defending national defense.

当前，世界百年未有之大变局加速演进，外部风险挑战明显增多，传统安全威胁与非传统安全威胁相互交织，加强国防教育的重要性更加凸显。特别是，上海作为国际大都市，是改革开放的前沿阵地，其地理位置、经济地位和战略价值无可替代，在深化全民国防教育的大局中，肩负着特殊使命和重大责任。我们要进一步深化思想认识，切实增强做好全民国防教育的政治自觉、思想自觉、行动自觉，以更高站位、更宽视野、更大格局，推动国防教育法各项要求落地落实，激发凝聚全社会关心国防、热爱国防、建设国防、保卫国防的磅礴力量。

I. Highlighting Ideological Guidance, Keeping the Correct Direction of National Defense Education for the Entire People

一、突出思想引领，把牢全民国防教育正确方向

National defense education for the entire people embodies the Party’s will, raises high the Party’s banner, and has a distinct political attribute. It must adhere to holding high the banner and setting the direction, rectifying the source and clarifying the fundamentals, and implement the Party’s innovative theories and the Party’s line, principles, and policies in all aspects of national defense education work for the entire people, ensuring that national defense education for the entire people advances in the correct direction. The newly revised National Defense Education Law establishes Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as the guiding ideology for national defense education, further highlighting the banner guidance of the New Era. As an important component of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, Xi Jinping’s thought on strengthening the military provides the fundamental guidance for our deepening of national defense education work for the entire people and is of decisive significance for consolidating the ideological foundation of our national defense education work and adhering to the correct direction of national defense education work.

全民国防教育，体现的是党的意志，高扬的是党的旗帜，具有鲜明的政治属性，必须坚持举旗定向、正本清源，把党的创新理论、党的路线方针贯彻到全民国防教育工作的方方面面，确保全民国防教育沿着正确方向前进。新修订的国防教育法将习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想确立为国防教育的指导思想，进一步凸显了新时代的旗帜引领。作为习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想的重要组成部分，习近平强军思想为我们深化全民国防教育工作提供了根本遵循，对我们夯实国防教育工作的思想根基、坚持国防教育工作的正确方向，具有决定性意义。

Shanghai has consistently prioritized the study and implementation of Xi Jinping’s thought on strengthening the military as the primary task of national defense education for the entire people. Relying on forms such as special training sessions, thematic exhibitions, grassroots lectures, and knowledge competitions, it integrates Xi Jinping’s thought on strengthening the military into all fields and the entire process of national defense education for the entire people. In particular, we fully leverage Shanghai’s advantage as the birthplace of the Party and its rich red resources, relying on the *Shanghai Red Resource List (First Batch)*, as well as the *Shanghai Regulations on the Inheritance, Promotion, Protection, and Utilization of Red Resources* and the *Shanghai Implementation Plan for Carrying Out the “New Era Patriotic Education Implementation Outline”*, to promote red resources as a major classroom for conducting national defense education and a main front for cultivating the soul and strengthening the foundation, thereby better guiding the people to firm up their ideals and convictions, cultivate deep feelings for the country and the family, and firmly establish a correct view of national security.

一直以来，上海坚持把学习贯彻习近平强军思想作为全民国防教育的首要任务，依托专题培训、主题展览、基层宣讲、知识竞赛等形式，将习近平强军思想融入全民国防教育各领域、全过程。特别是，我们充分发挥上海作为党的诞生地、红色资源丰富的优势，依托《上海市红色资源名录（第一批）》，以及《上海市红色资源传承弘扬和保护利用条例》《上海市贯彻落实〈新时代爱国主义教育实施纲要〉工作方案》，推动红色资源成为开展国防教育的大课堂、培根铸魂的主阵地，更好引导人民群众坚定理想信念、厚植家国情怀，牢固树立正确的国家安全观。

To better implement the newly revised National Defense Education Law, we will further strengthen learning and education. We will run the Party’s innovative theories, especially Xi Jinping’s thought on strengthening the military, through the national defense education of leading cadres, young people, militia members, and other targets. Seizing opportunities such as the fourth national cultural relics census and the application for the second batch of Shanghai red resources, we will excavate more platforms and carriers for learning and education, enrich the content and forms of learning, and make the ideological foundation of national defense education for the entire people more solid. We will further deepen theoretical research. Relying on military and civilian academies and research institutes, we will conduct theoretical and pedagogical research on national defense education for the entire people, focus on studying and resolving key and difficult issues affecting and restricting the popularization and development of national defense education, and put forward more forward-looking, targeted, and effective policy recommendations. We will encourage qualified military and civilian academies to establish national defense education colleges or national defense education research institutions, and strengthen the construction of the national defense education discipline system. We will further improve propaganda and interpretation. Using forms that the common people like to see and hear, and combining them with hot topics that the common people care about and pay attention to, we will properly interpret Xi Jinping’s thought on strengthening the military, effectively

为更好落实新修订的国防教育法，我们将进一步抓实学习教育。将党的创新理论，特别是习近平强军思想，贯穿于领导干部、青少年、民兵等对象的国防教育之中。结合第四次全国文物普查、上海市第二批红色资源申报等契机，挖掘更多学习教育的平台载体，丰富学习内容形式，让全民国防教育的思想基础筑得更牢。进一步抓深理论研究。依托军地院校和科研院所，开展全民国防教育理论和教学研究，着力研究解决影响和制约国防教育普及发展的重点难点问题，提出更多具有前瞻性、针对性、实效性的政策建议。鼓励有条件的军地院校组建国防教育学院或国防教育研究机构，加强国防教育学科体系建设。进一步抓好宣传阐释。运用老百姓喜闻乐见的形式，结合老百姓关心关注的热点，把习近平强军思想阐释好，把习近平总书记关于加强全民国防教育的重要指示精神宣传好，把新修订的国防教育法解读好，让老百姓听得懂、能领会、可落实。

2. Adhering to a Point-Driven Approach to Promote the Universal Popularization of National Defense Education for the Entire People

二、坚持以点带面，推动全民国防教育全域普及

To comprehensively deepen national defense education for the entire people in the New Era, it is necessary to both uphold the participation of the entire people and focus on key targets. In particular, it is essential to grasp the key role of leading cadres and the foundation of young people, achieving a combination of universal education and targeted education. Through breakthroughs and improvements in the national defense education of key groups, we can drive the overall advancement of national defense education across all sectors of society, realizing the "five full coverages" of national defense education for the entire people. The newly revised National Defense Education Law has significantly increased content related to leading cadres and young people, with higher requirements. It supplements and improves the objectives, content, methods, and approaches of national defense education in primary and secondary schools as well as institutions of higher learning, further strengthening differentiated instruction based on categories. The requirements for the national defense literacy of state organ staff are more explicit, mandating that they "possess a relatively high level of national defense literacy and play an exemplary and leading role in national defense education for the entire people." At the same time, it also makes specific arrangements for extensively carrying out mass-oriented national defense education activities.

全面深化新时代全民国防教育，既要坚持全民参与，又要抓好重点对象，特别是要抓好领导干部这个关键和青少年这个基础，做到普及教育和重点教育相结合，并以重点群体国防教育的突破提升带动社会各方面国防教育的整体推进，实现全民国防教育“五个全覆盖”。新修订的国防教育法涉及领导干部、青少年的内容大幅增加，要求进一步提高。对中小学、高校的国防教育目标、内容和方法途径进行补充完善，进一步强化分类施教；对国家机关工作人员国防素养的要求更明确，要求“具备较高的国防素养，发挥在全民国防教育中的模范带头作用”。同时，也对广泛开展群众性国防教育活动作出具体部署。

Shanghai places great emphasis on national defense education for various groups. For leading cadres, a comprehensive platform for leading cadre national defense education has been established, a curriculum system for leading cadre national defense education has been created, and national defense education content has been incorporated into the study sessions of Party committee (Party leadership group) theoretical study centers. For young people, efforts have been made to create a series of brand national defense education activities, such as "Approaching the Border Defense Line, Journey to the Motherland's Borderlands," the "Love Our National Defense" speech contest for teachers and students of universities, middle schools, and primary schools, and the special research and training class on national defense, civil defense, and maritime defense for primary and secondary schools. For mass-oriented national defense education, the "Jointly Building the Great Wall of the Nation" Shanghai national defense education publicity and education brand has been developed, and year-round national defense education theme activities such as knowledge contests, themed essay competitions, speech contests, and photography competitions have been carried out.

上海对抓好各类群体的国防教育高度重视。领导干部方面，打造领导干部国防教育综合平台，建立领导干部国防教育课程体系，将国防教育内容纳入党委（党组）理论学习中心组学习。青少年方面，全力打造“走近边防线 祖国边疆行”、大中小学师生“爱我国防”演讲比赛、中小学校国防人防海防专题研修班等一批国防教育品牌活动。群众性国防教育方面，打造“共筑国之长城”上海国防教育宣教品牌，开展贯穿全年的知识竞赛、主题征文、演讲比赛、摄影大赛等全民国防教育主题活动。

To better implement the newly revised National Defense Education Law, we will make the national defense education work for key groups more outstanding. We will improve the national defense education curriculum system for civil servants, refine the tiered and categorized training system for leading cadres' national defense education, continuously enhance the quality and effectiveness of national defense education, and promote Shanghai's state organ staff, especially leading cadres, to become pioneers and vanguards in implementing Xi Jinping's Thought on Strengthening the Military. We will innovate forms of campus education, persist in advancing differentiated instruction by category, encourage the creation of national model schools for national defense education in primary and secondary schools, and take the opportunity of Shanghai's overall pilot zone for "grand ideological-political courses" to promote the organic integration of national defense education into ideological-political teaching, striving to deeply plant the seeds of patriotism and military-strengthening in the hearts of young people. We will make mass-oriented national defense education activities more splendid. We will adhere to combining centralized education with daily education. For centralized education, we will fully utilize important time nodes such as major political holidays and significant commemorative days, excavate the national defense education elements contained within them, and deeply carry out celebration and commemoration activities, guiding people to remember history, cherish the memory of martyrs, be vigilant in times of peace, and strive for strength. For daily education, we will normalize the "Jointly Building the Great Wall of the Nation" series of national defense education activities, and effectively organize theme activities such as the red short play script creation competition, the promotion of advanced models, and air defense siren test drills, continuously stirring up waves of red culture and national defense education throughout the city. We will make the publicity and popularization of national defense education more widely known. We will combine "traditional channels" with "emerging channels." While running the "Military Observation" special supplement of *Xinmin Evening News* and *Shanghai National Defense* magazine well, we will strengthen the construction of new media platforms such as "Neon Sentinels" and "Shanghai National Defense Mobilization," creating more online communication brands. We will combine "what we want to say" with "what the masses love to see," fully utilizing Shanghai's rich resources of red culture, Shanghai-style culture, and Jiangnan culture, launching more excellent literary and artistic works reflecting national defense and military themes, and enhancing the appeal and impact of national defense education.

为更好落实新修订的国防教育法，我们将推动重点群体国防教育工作更加出众。完善公务员国防教育课程体系，健全领导干部国防教育分级分类培训制度，不断提升国防教育质效，推动上海机关工作人员特别是领导干部成为贯彻习近平强军思想的先行者、排头兵；创新校园教育形式、坚持推进分类施教，鼓励创建全国中小学国防教育示范学校，以上海“大思政课”整体试验区建设为契机推动国防教育有机融入思政教学，努力让爱国强军的种子深植青少年心中。推动群众性国防教育活动更加出彩。坚持集中教育与日常教育相结合。集中教育方面，充分利用重大政治性节日、重大纪念日等重要时间节点，挖掘其中蕴含的国防教育元素，深入开展庆祝纪念活动，引导人们牢记历史、缅怀先烈，居安思危、奋发图强。日常教育方面，常态化开展“共筑国之长城”系列国防教育活动，办好红色短剧剧本创作大赛、先进典型宣传、防空警报试鸣演习等主题活动，在全市持续掀起红色文化和国防教育热潮。推动国防教育宣传普及更加出圈。把“传统渠道”和“新兴渠道”结合起来，在办好《新民晚报》“军界瞭望”专刊、《上海国防》杂志的同时，加强“霓虹哨兵”“上海国防动员”等新媒体建设，打造更多网络传播品牌。把“我们想说”和“群众爱看”结合起来，充分用好上海丰富的红色文化、海派文化、江南文化资源，推出更多反映国防和军事题材的文艺佳作，增强国防教育吸引力、感染力。

3. Strengthening Work Coordination to Weave a Dense Guarantee Network for National Defense Education for the Entire People

三、强化工作协同，织密全民国防教育保障网络

Our national defense is a whole-of-people national defense; popularizing and strengthening national defense education is the shared responsibility of the entire society, requiring all relevant parties to perform their respective duties and fulfill their respective responsibilities, to exert effort in the same direction and form a combined force, and jointly weave a dense support network for whole-of-people national defense education. The newly revised National Defense Education Law explicitly emphasizes the Party’s leadership over national defense education work, refines the stipulation of the duties of relevant departments, and further improves various support measures. This requires us, under the fundamental guarantee of upholding the Party’s leadership, to fully mobilize forces from all sides to actively participate in the cause of national defense education, to impel the entire society and all fields to consciously fulfill the obligations and responsibilities of national defense education, and to make national defense education a truly cause of the whole people.

我们的国防是全民国防，普及和加强国防教育是全社会共同的责任，需要各有关方面各司其职、各尽其责，同向发力、形成合力，共同织密全民国防教育保障网络。新修订的国防教育法旗帜鲜明地强调了党对国防教育工作的领导，细化规定了各有关部门职责，并对各方面保障措施作出进一步完善。这需要我们在坚持党的领导这一根本保证的前提下，充分调动各方面力量积极参与到国防教育事业中来，推动全社会、各领域自觉履行国防教育义务和职责，让国防教育成为真正的全民事业。

To this end, Shanghai has made efforts to improve the leadership system, integrating and establishing the Municipal Party Committee’s Leading Group for Propaganda, Ideology, and Cultural Work, incorporating whole-of-people national defense education as a special working mechanism under it, thereby further strengthening the Municipal Party Committee’s leadership over whole-of-people national defense education work. Whole-of-people national defense education work has been included as a key work item in the “Shanghai Action Plan for Building the Best Practice Ground for Xi Jinping Thought on Culture,” [5]5 Xi Jinping Thought on Culture is a component of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, formally proposed at the National Conference on Propaganda, Ideology, and Cultural Work in October 2023. with an overall plan, clear objectives, and specific requirements set for whole-of-people national defense education, ensuring that all parties attach high importance to it and implement it earnestly. At the same time, we actively guide multi-party participation, leverage the strength of social organizations, and encourage social organizations such as the Shanghai National Defense Education Association, the Shanghai Research Association for Civil-Military Integration Development, and the Shanghai National Defense Education Foundation to undertake Shanghai’s national defense education brand projects; rely on the strength of universities to establish the Shanghai University Student National Defense Education Research Center Cooperation Alliance, providing intellectual support for whole-of-people national defense education work; mobilize grassroots volunteer service forces, guide the establishment of grassroots propaganda and education teams, and deeply carry out national defense education and training that meets the needs of grassroots people.

为此，上海着力健全领导体系，整合设立市委宣传思想文化工作领导小组，将全民国防教育作为下设专项工作机制，进一步强化市委对全民国防教育工作的领导。将全民国防教育工作纳入《上海市建设习近平文化思想最佳实践地行动方案》的重点工作项目，对全民国防教育作出总体谋划、设定明确目标、提出具体要求，确保各方高度重视、认真落实。同时，积极引导多方参与，发挥社会组织力量，鼓励上海市国防教育协会、上海市军民融合发展研究会、上海市国防教育基金会等社会组织参与承办上海国防教育品牌项目；依托高校力量，成立上海市大学生国防教育研究中心合作联盟，为全民国防教育工作提供智力支撑；动员基层志愿服务力量，指导建立基层宣教队伍，深入开展切合基层群众需求的国防教育培训。

To better implement the newly revised National Defense Education Law, we will build and strengthen the working mechanism. Under the guidance of the Municipal Party Committee’s Leading Group for Propaganda, Ideology, and Cultural Work, we will continuously improve the special working mechanism for whole-of-people national defense education, and strive to construct a new pattern for whole-of-people national defense education work that spans regions, systems, departments, and business fields. We will establish systems for regular communication and consultation, study and training, and supervision and inspection among relevant departments of whole-of-people national defense education, making the work more standardized and orderly. We will promote the inclusion of whole-of-people national defense education work in more major municipal-level plans and important policy documents, further strengthening implementation guarantees. We will make platforms and carriers more numerous and stronger. We will study and formulate municipal-level management measures and evaluation standards for naming whole-of-people national defense education bases, and newly name a batch of municipal-level whole-of-people national defense education bases. We will build national defense education venues such as the Shanghai Revolutionary Military Museum, efficiently utilize public cultural facilities, and encourage the construction of whole-of-people national defense education theme parks (squares), theme streets, theme corridors, etc., continuously enriching the practical carriers for whole-of-people national defense education and training. We will make good and full use of social forces. We will support Shanghai’s social organizations in the national defense field to carry out a series of national defense education activities, select military and civilian experts and scholars, retired veteran cadres, and outstanding ex-servicemen to form national defense education lecturer groups, guide and encourage them to carry out volunteer service activities in national defense education positions, and promote the formation of a good working situation where the military and civilians cooperate closely, all sectors of society support, and the whole people participate together.

为更好落实新修订的国防教育法，我们将把工作机制建优建实。在市委宣传思想文化工作领导小组指导下，持续完善全民国防教育专项工作机制，着力构建跨区域、跨系统、跨部门、跨业务领域的全民国防教育工作新格局。建立全民国防教育相关部门定期沟通会商制度、学习培训制度、督导检查制度等，让全民国防教育工作更加规范有序。推动全民国防教育工作纳入更多市级层面重大规划、重要政策性文件，进一步强化落实保障。把平台载体做多做强。研究制定市级全民国防教育基地命名管理办法和评定标准，新命名一批市级全民国防教育基地。建好上海革命军事馆等国防教育场馆，高效利用公共文化设施，鼓励建设全民国防教育主题公园（广场）、主题街区、主题长廊等，不断丰富全民国防教育培训实践载体。把社会力量用好用足。支持上海市国防领域社会组织开展国防教育系列活动，遴选军地专家学者、离退休老干部、优秀退役军人等组建国防教育讲师团，引导鼓励他们在国防教育阵地开展志愿服务活动，推动形成军地密切配合、社会各界支持、全民共同参与的良好工作局面。

(The author is a member of the Standing Committee of the Shanghai Municipal Party Committee and Minister of the Propaganda Department)

（作者为上海市委常委、宣传部部长）

Online editor: Huihui

网络编辑：慧慧