Strategy to Build a Strong Military Through Reform

At a meeting of the Central Military Commission (CMC) on military reform on November 24, 2015, Xi Jinping emphasized the importance of implementing a reform strategy to build a strong military by taking a distinctly Chinese approach. 

In response to the needs in a modern context, defense and military reform are key to building a strong military, and will shape the future of the military. The objective of reform is to modernize China's armed forces so as to enable them to answer the call of duty and win a war in a digital age. Measures will be taken to improve the military institutional infrastructure, in order to provide a sound basis for building a world-class military. Expected results include a markedly strengthened leadership and joint operational command chain, an optimally adjusted scale and structure, an improved policy-making process, and enhanced civil-military integration.

Major areas of reform include: 

– building a structure with the CMC providing overall guidance and direction, theater commands responsible for theater-level combat operations, and individual military services focused on their specialized combat capability and readiness; 

– designing an effective oversight system to prevent any abuse of power;

– shifting from reliance on the size of the military to a focus on quality and efficiency; 

– identifying and tapping new potential for warfare capability improvement and force multiplication; 

– pursuing institutional reform and policy innovation in talent and human resources development; and 

– integrating economic development with defense needs.

改革強軍戰略

2015年11月24日，習近平在中央軍委改革工作會議上提出全面實施改革強軍戰略，堅定不移走中國特色強軍之路的要求。深化國防和軍隊改革，是實現中國夢強軍夢的時代要求，是強軍興軍的必由之路，也是決定軍隊未來的關鍵一招。改革的目標就是構建能夠打贏信息化戰爭、有效履行使命任務的中國特色現代軍事力量體系，使中國特色社會主義軍事制度更加成熟、更加定型，為實現強軍目標、建設世界一流軍隊打下更為扎實的前進基礎。改革的成果標志，就是在領導管理體制、聯合作戰指揮體制改革上取得突破性進展，在優化規模結構和力量編成、完善政策制度、推動軍民融合發展等方面改革上取得重要成果。改革的六方面舉措包括：一是形成軍委管總、戰區主戰、軍種主建的格局；二是構建嚴密的權力運行制約和監督體系；三是推動人民解放軍由數量規模型向質量效能型轉變；四是培育軍隊戰斗力新的增長點；五是推動人才發展體制改革和政策創新；六是推動經濟建設和國防建設融合發展。