Military guidance theory is the basic follow-up to lead military practice. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, General Secretary of the Supreme Leader, as the core of the Party, the commander-in-chief of the army and the leader of the people, has created and formed the thought of strengthening the army by the Supreme Leader with distinctive characteristics of the times and China characteristics in the magnificent military practice, and realized that the party’s military guiding theory keeps pace with the times again.

The supreme leader’s thought of strengthening the army has guided the construction of the people’s army in the new era and made historic achievements

Socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era, so has national defense and army building. In the practice of governing the country, the General Secretary of the Supreme Leader led the people’s army to rebuild and rebuild in an all-round way, promoted the "four modernizations" of the army in an all-round way, and opened up a grand foundation to support the rejuvenation of a powerful country on the journey of strengthening the army and rejuvenating the army.

Military reform is extraordinary and a historic breakthrough has been achieved. Breaking and then standing, breaking and standing, and hoofing and stepping steadily are the distinctive features of our party building and army management in the new era. Facing the complicated and profound changes in the international situation and national security environment, and facing the institutional obstacles, structural contradictions and policy issues that have long restricted national defense and army building, General Secretary of the Supreme Leader made a strategic conclusion that "deepening the reform of national defense and army is the requirement of the times to realize the Chinese dream and the dream of strengthening the army, the only way to strengthen the army and the key measure to determine the future of the army". He personally led, personally designed and personally promoted the military reform in the overall deployment of the reform of the party and the state, initiated an unprecedented overall revolutionary change in the history of our army, and fought "three major battles." The first was the "above the neck" reform, which established the leadership and management system of "Central Military Commission-services-troops" and the operational command system of "Central Military Commission-war zone-troops", breaking the long-standing headquarters system, military region system and continental army system. The second is the "below the neck" reform, which reduces the number of military personnel by 300,000, greatly simplifies the non-combat institutions and personnel of the military, and implements the "army-brigade-battalion" system for the main combat troops, changing the long-standing land-based and homeland-defensive forces. The third is the military policy system reform, which systematically promotes the policy system reform in the four major areas of party building, strength application, strength building and military management, and establishes and improves Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s military policy system. The three reform campaigns are interlocking, and the people’s army has been completely transformed and has a new look.

The army building is extraordinary and a historic leap has taken place. In the face of the army’s long-standing abuses for a period of time, the Supreme Leader General Secretary gained insight into the problem from a political perspective, personally led the Gutian Army’s political work conference, set up a general plan for building the army politically, unswervingly promoted political training and consolidation, seriously investigated and dealt with serious cases of violation of discipline and law by senior cadres, completely eliminated the pernicious influence, and the people’s army was reborn from the ashes and the political ecology was fundamentally reversed. Promote the implementation of the strategy of strengthening the army through science and technology, seize the key of national defense science and technology innovation, establish the strategic basis of independent innovation, greatly strengthen basic research and original innovation, and realize the transformation of national defense science and technology and weapons and equipment construction from running side by side to running side by side. Promote the implementation of the strategy of strengthening the army with talents, build a new military talent training system, innovate military human resource management, and recruit outstanding talents from all walks of life to join the cause of strengthening the army. Grasp the core and foundation of all the work of the army, grasp the leadership and party building work of the army, and promote the grassroots construction of the people’s army to make great progress. We will step up efforts to administer the army according to law and strictly manage the military, speed up the construction of a military legal system with China characteristics, continue to rectify the "four winds" and the "Five-odd" problems, and promote the gradual and fundamental transformation of the way of administering the army. The "combination boxing" formed by a series of major measures has made a comprehensive situation and a long-term trend, which has continuously improved the quality and efficiency of people’s army building in the new era.

The military struggle was extraordinary and achieved historic results. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, new complex and profound changes have taken place in the international pattern. The General Secretary of the Supreme Leader has profoundly grasped the general trend of national security, engaged in relations among major powers, led the people’s army to calmly respond, firmly grasped the opportunities of military competition, and always controlled the initiative of military struggle. The preparations for military struggle have taken on a new look. Leaders formulate military strategic guidelines for the new era, strengthen the overall guidance of military struggle, focus on winning battles, make in-depth preparations for fighting in all directions and fields, and be vigorous and promising in expanding the depth of active defense strategy, accelerating the military forces to go abroad, and managing new security fields. Command a series of major military operations, effectively resolve possible war risks, earnestly safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests, boost national prestige and military prestige, and enhance national self-confidence and pride.

The supreme leader’s thought of strengthening the army is the latest achievement of the Communist Party of China (CPC)’s military guidance theory advancing with the times

The supreme leader’s thought of strengthening the army made profound strategic thinking on all aspects of national defense and army building, made scientific and long-term strategic plans, and profoundly expounded a series of fundamental issues such as the goal direction, mission, strategic layout, fundamental direction and important path of strengthening the army, forming a scientific theoretical system with rich ideological connotation and profound implications.

Focus on rejuvenating the country and make a new summary of the goals of the people’s army. The supreme leader’s thought of strengthening the army points out that the party’s goal of strengthening the army in the new era is to build a people’s army that listens to the party’s command, can win battles and has a good work style. It must be consistent with the process of national modernization, and strive to basically realize the modernization of national defense and the army by 2035, and build the people’s army into a world-class army in an all-round way by the middle of this century. This profoundly answered the question of what kind of people’s army to build in the new era and laid the "theoretical cornerstone" of the supreme leader’s thought of strengthening the army in one fell swoop. In the practice of building and managing the army, the general secretary of the supreme leader’s exposition on the goal of strengthening the army has been developing continuously, especially the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China has made new strategic arrangements for comprehensively promoting national defense and army modernization. The Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee proposed to speed up the modernization of national defense and the army, and ensure the realization of the centennial goal of building the army in 2027, which further pointed out where the people’s army will go and where it will develop, and made clear the goal direction for the people’s army to break the waves on a new journey.

Focus on great struggle, keep pace with the times and innovate military strategic guidance. The supreme leader’s thought of strengthening the army profoundly expounds that strengthening the country and the army must be strategic first, and clearly points out that the strategic goal of the party and the country is to achieve the goal of "two hundred years" and realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation at present and for a long time to come. Innovative development of military strategic guidance must firmly grasp this fundamental focus, strengthen military strategic operation and improve the level of military strategic guidance. This military strategy is a general plan to take the overall situation into consideration, balance the opponents and win the war. Its spiritual essence is to ensure that the army effectively performs the mission entrusted by the party and the people, and provide strategic support for consolidating the Communist Party of China (CPC)’s leadership and socialist system, defending national sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, safeguarding national overseas interests and promoting world peace and development.

Strengthen the Party’s absolute leadership over the people’s army with an eye on the eternal stability of the country. The supreme leader’s thought of strengthening the army emphasizes that the party’s absolute leadership over the army is the foundation of the people’s army and the soul of strengthening the army. It is necessary to comprehensively implement a series of fundamental principles and systems of the party’s leadership over the army to ensure the absolute loyalty, purity and reliability of the army. Adhering to the party’s absolute leadership over the people’s army at the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China is defined as a basic strategy for upholding and developing Socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era. The Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China regards "upholding the party’s command of guns and ensuring the people’s army’s absolute loyalty to the party and the people" as a remarkable advantage of the national system and the national governance system, and clearly proposes to uphold and improve the party’s absolute leadership over the people’s army. The implementation of the chairman responsibility system in the Central Military Commission is the fundamental form of upholding the party’s absolute leadership over the people’s army. The highest leadership and command of the army belongs to the CPC Central Committee and the Central Military Commission, and the national armed forces are under the unified leadership and command of the chairman of the Military Commission. All these are significant theoretical and political contributions, which indicate that Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s basic military system is more mature and stereotyped.

Focus on the overall situation of the cause and creatively optimize the layout of strengthening the army. The supreme leader’s thought of strengthening the army puts the army construction in the overall situation of the party and the state, thinking, planning and scientific deployment. From "deepening the political army building, reforming and strengthening the army, and managing the army according to law" to "persisting in the political army building, reforming and strengthening the army, managing the army according to law" and then "persisting in the political army building, reforming and strengthening the army, strengthening the army through science and technology, strengthening the army with talents and managing the army according to law", the layout of strengthening the army has been continuously expanded and optimized. This layout of strengthening the army is the embodiment of our party’s strategic layout of governing the country and politics in the new era in the military field. It has grasped the strategic key issues supporting the strengthening of the army, defined the fundamental guarantee, key move, powerful motivation, strategic resources and the guarantee of the rule of law for strengthening the army, and set up a four-pillar, eight-pillar and backbone framework for the cause of strengthening the army.

Focus on winning the battle and comprehensively strengthen training and preparation. The inherent characteristic of military guidance theory is to seek and win. The supreme leader’s thought of strengthening the army emphasizes that the army should prepare for war, and must comprehensively improve its ability to prepare for war in the new era, effectively shape the situation, control the crisis, contain the war and win the war. These expositions reveal the fundamental direction of strengthening the army in the new era and constitute the "theoretical core" of the supreme leader’s thought of strengthening the army. The army is born of war, and the preparation for military struggle is the basic practical activity of the army. The supreme leader’s thought of strengthening the army clearly puts forward the only fundamental standard of firmly establishing combat effectiveness, which requires that the combat effectiveness standard should run through the whole process and all aspects of army building, pay great attention to actual military training, make solid preparations for military struggles in all directions and fields, gather together to build elite combat forces, and carry forward the fighting spirit of not being afraid of hardships and not being afraid of death. These important expositions are of great significance for correcting the center of gravity and direction of army building and development, forming a direction that all minds focus on fighting and all work focuses on fighting hard, and promoting the people’s army to fully leap forward in winning the war.

Focus on enriching the country and strengthening the army, and promote the simultaneous improvement of national defense strength and economic strength. Dealing with the relationship between the coordinated development of national defense construction and economic construction is a common topic in the governance of great powers at all times and at all times, including both profound lessons and good experiences. The supreme leader’s thought of strengthening the army integrates national defense and army building into the national economic and social development system, and emphasizes the combination of development and security, economic construction and national defense construction, the unification of enriching the country and strengthening the army, making full use of all superior forces and resources to build an integrated national strategic system and capability. In the new era, the cause of strengthening the military is rooted in the deep soil of the rapid development of the country’s economy and society. With the strong strength of the country’s economy and science and technology, and the majestic strength of the whole society, the modernization of national defense and the military will surely add wings and advance by leaps and bounds.

The supreme leader’s thought of strengthening the army is a vivid Marxist military theory in the 21st century.

In the new era, which is a special historical period of great changes in the world, great development of the country and great military competition, the supreme leader’s thought of strengthening the army applies Marxism to observe and reflect China’s military practice, reveals and reflects the objective laws of military activities in the world today, and makes great original contributions to enriching and developing Marxist military theory. This thought not only adheres to the basic viewpoints of Marxism on war and military issues, but also adheres to our party’s consistent guiding ideology and major principles for building and managing the army. It also closely combines the characteristics of the new era and practical development, absorbs the essence of Chinese excellent traditional military culture, draws on the outstanding achievements of world military theory, sublates scientific theories, and forms the achievements of military civilization with China style and China style.

The supreme leader’s thought of strengthening the army profoundly answered the question of the times when a strong country must strengthen the army. To cope with the great changes in the world in the past century and ensure that China is invincible in the fierce international military competition, it is required that the army must accelerate the transformation from a "big country army" to a "powerful country army." At present, the international strategic pattern is deeply adjusted, and the overall competition and overall contest between countries are more prominent. The more complicated the situation, the better the military skill. At present, national security is facing one kind or another of risk challenges, the possibility of war and chaos at home is real, and the task of safeguarding national unity and social stability is arduous and arduous. We must dare and be good at carrying out great struggles with many new historical characteristics. A strong army is an inherent requirement and an important symbol of a strong country. A strong army is needed to deter and stop the war, and a strong army is needed to provide support for the country’s prosperity and development. The supreme leader’s thought of strengthening the army focused on strengthening the army and put forward many strategic and original ideas, comprehensively and systematically answered the historical and epochal topic of supporting the country with strengthening the army, and opened up a new realm of China-ization of Marxist military theory.

The supreme leader’s thought of strengthening the army further enriched the party’s military guidance theory treasure house. The Communist Party of China (CPC)’s military guidance theory is a scientific summary of the practical experience of China’s revolutionary war, people’s army and national defense construction, and the crystallization of the collective wisdom of the whole party and army. It is in the same strain and keeps pace with the times with the changes of the times and the development of practice. Our party has gone through a hundred years of struggle, and in the course of commanding guns by the party, it has successively formed Marxist military theoretical achievements with China characteristics, such as Mao Zedong’s military thought, Deng Xiaoping’s army building thought in the new period, Jiang Zemin’s national defense and army building thought, and Hu Jintao’s national defense and army building thought. Based on Do not forget your initiative mind’s political consciousness and radical theory, the supreme leader’s thought of strengthening the army scientifically summarizes the basic experience of our army’s construction and development, profoundly reveals where the people’s army came from and why it went from victory to victory, and at the same time puts forward a series of new ideas, new ideas, new theories and new requirements in response to the needs of the new era, realizing a major breakthrough and innovation in the party’s military guidance theory, and highlighting the political and theoretical inheritance of the Communist Party of China (CPC) people in the past 100 years.

The supreme leader’s thought of strengthening the army shines with the truth of dialectical materialism and historical materialism throughout. The supreme leader’s thought of strengthening the army has a keen insight into the contradictory movements in the military field in the new era, and has made a series of new explanations on the relationship of unity of opposites, such as war and peace, military and politics, development and security, change and new situation, crisis and initiative, preparation and stop of war, deterrence and actual combat, and man and weapons, which profoundly reveals the way to strengthen the army and win in the new era, with broad vision, lofty ideas and vigorous weather, and embodies the basic principles and science of Marxism. The supreme leader’s thought of strengthening the army runs through the mission based on far-reaching history, which contains conscious understanding of historical position, firm adherence to revolutionary feelings and determined pursuit of ideal goals, showing the ideological style and lofty realm of contemporary the Communist Party of China (CPC) people; Through the epistemological methodology of grasping the military and building the army around politics, we put the war issue in the realization of the great goal of national rejuvenation, promote national defense and army building as a whole from the overall situation of the party and the state, and guide military actions with the overall situation of national politics, diplomacy, national security and strategy, enriching and developing the Marxist military view of war; Through the revolutionary style of seeking truth from facts and building the army by hard work, the Marxist practical viewpoint and the party’s ideological line of seeking truth from facts are applied to the military field, which sets an example for thoroughly eliminating problems and opening up new prospects for the cause and provides methods and guarantees for turning the blueprint for strengthening the army in the new era into reality; Throughout the sense of urgency of looking to the future and preventing in advance, we are always ready to carry out new great struggles.Fight a well-prepared battle to prevent and resist risks, and fight a strategic initiative to turn danger into opportunity; Through the enterprising spirit of being proactive and determined to develop, it embodies the strategic enterprising view of taking the initiative, the struggle art of sticking to the bottom line and daring to show the sword, and the innovative character of relying on scientific and technological development and progress, and so on. All this is condensed with profound theoretical practicality and distinct strategic foresight, and shows the wisdom and strength of Marxist military theory in the new era.

[The author is a special researcher at the Socialism with Chinese characteristics Thought Research Center of the New Era, the supreme leader of the Central Party School (National School of Administration), and the former executive vice-president of the Central Party School (National School of Administration)]