The Brief
The Political Work Department of China's Central Military Commission (CMC) has launched a nationwide lecture tour titled "Strengthening the Military and Winning Battles: I Am Striving." Featuring 12 representatives from model grassroots units and frontline personnel, the tour began at a People's Armed Police detachment in Beijing before expanding across branches and military academies. The campaign aims to promote exemplary role models, align troop morale with frontline combat readiness, and mobilize personnel ahead of the People's Liberation Army's 2027 centenary.
Why it matters
The lecture tour reflects the CMC's institutional mechanism of using grassroots political education and role models to foster discipline and morale during the final sprint toward the PLA's 2027 centenary objectives. By highlighting technical specialists and support personnel alongside operational combatants, the campaign seeks to reinforce cohesion across diverse specialized roles within modern combined-arms and support formations.
China context
The PLA is approaching its 100th anniversary in 2027, an operational and organizational milestone tied to modernization benchmarks set under Xi Jinping. Political work campaigns, including touring delegations of decorated soldiers and model units, are standard ideological tools used by the CMC Political Work Department to transmit central directives directly to grassroots companies, squads, and training grounds.
Editor's View
EDITOR'S VIEW — Analysis and inference, not factual reporting.
The campaign's focus on specialized technical trades—such as naval weapons maintenance, missile data coding, and aerospace ground operations—highlights the PLA's evolving definition of frontline heroism. Rather than focusing solely on traditional combat arms, Chinese military media are actively lionizing long-serving non-commissioned officers and technical support specialists whose daily operational competence underpins joint operations. This messaging aims to address retention, motivation, and professionalization challenges among non-commissioned officers and specialized technical personnel across branches.
What to watch
- Reactions and localized study sessions across PLA ground, naval, air, rocket, and joint logistics forces following the tour.
- Potential release of dedicated profiles and media features highlighting the 12 model delegates in state and military outlets.
- Broader ideological and mobilization campaigns organized by the CMC leading up to the PLA's 2027 centenary.
Key Takeaways
- 1The CMC Political Work Department launched a multi-branch lecture tour titled 'Strengthening the Military and Winning Battles: I Am Striving.'
- 2The campaign features 12 representatives from model grassroots units and frontline personnel across various branches.
- 3The inaugural event was held at a People's Armed Police detachment in Beijing before groups dispersed to units and military academies.
- 4The tour emphasizes technical expertise, operational readiness, and alignment with centenary goals ahead of 2027.
The Political Work Department of China's Central Military Commission has organized a military-wide lecture tour featuring exemplary frontline personnel and grassroots units, according to state media reports.
The tour, titled "Strengthening the Military and Winning Battles: I Am Striving," is designed to implement Xi Jinping Thought on Strengthening the Military and leverage role models to motivate troops across the armed forces. The opening event was held at a detachment of the People's Armed Police Beijing Corps.
The delegation includes 12 representatives drawn from distinguished units and young service personnel who have emerged during the current reform era. The participants represent combat readiness units, decorated collective groups, technical innovators, and non-commissioned technical specialists from operational and support formations.
According to People's Daily, speakers in the tour include Ma Shaoli, a naval Senior Master Sergeant with 28 years of experience as a shipborne gun technician; Rong Zhengjie, representing a model aerospace ground station; and Zhao Jing, a Rocket Force Master Sergeant Second Class specializing in technical data and circuitry. Their presentations emphasize endurance in repetitive maintenance, rigorous training routines, and technical mastery.
Following the opening presentations, representatives are traveling in groups to various military units, branches, and military academies across the country. Events include discussions held directly in squad barracks and on training fields, where troops engage in discussions to benchmark their performance against the featured role models.
State media noted that the initiative is intended to reinforce loyalty, combat effectiveness, and operational discipline among soldiers, supporting ongoing preparation for the centenary of the People's Liberation Army in 2027.