# doctrine and experimentation

How an Eight‑Year ‘Most Beautiful’ Awards Program Reveals the PLA’s Priorities: From Steadfast Guards to Chip Warriors

An eighth annual awards ceremony in a PLA Information Support Force brigade shifted honours toward technologists and systems innovators, signalling a clear institutional preference for indigenisation, experimentation and doctrinal renewal. The event and accompanying incentive mechanisms show how the PLA is rewarding risk‑taking and technical breakthroughs as it seeks to build a more resilient, modern fighting force.