A shaky foundation can lead to catastrophic consequences. The strength of a gun lies in its durability at the grassroots level.

Earlier this year, President Xi Jinping conducted a video inspection of the overall military readiness, duty assignments, and mission implementation across the entire armed forces in Beijing. He extended heartfelt greetings to the relevant units. The nine grassroots units featured in the video greetings had different tasks and types, but both officers and soldiers were prepared and stationed at the front lines, fulfilling their duties diligently and working together to overcome challenges. This vividly demonstrated the spirit of the PLA’s comprehensive development of “three qualities” at the grassroots level in the new era.

The grass-roots level is the foundation of the entire work and combat effectiveness of the military, as well as the root of building a strong and thriving military. From the great innovation of establishing “branch committees in the form of companies” during the Three Gorges reorganization, to the establishment of the principle of “building the party in terms of ideology and building the military in terms of politics” at the Gutian Conference; from strong fighting bastions during the Anti-Japanese War to indestructible steel positions on the battlefield during the Korean War to defend against the United States… It is by sowing the seeds of redness in the hearts of officers and soldiers and by firmly establishing roots in the grass-roots units that our Party has forged a people’s army that is loyal to the Party, capable of winning battles, and with excellent combat style. “The Great Achievement Third Company,” “The Liu Lao Zhuang Company,” and “The Model Air-Ground Missile Battalion”… Today, with the guidance of Xi Jinping’s thought on building a strong military, one after another of the units that have followed the guidelines and been fully up to standard have emerged and showcased their unique strengths. As the saying goes, “Deep roots lead to lush foliage, and a solid trunk leads to flourishing branches.” As we embark on a new journey, we must firmly establish the idea of strengthening the foundation and continuously improve the level of building the combat effectiveness of grass-roots units. This will provide a solid foundation for striving to build a strong military by the centennial anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China and advancing towards building a world-class military.

Following the Party’s guidance and marching alongside the Party are the very essence of strong grassroots organizations. Having a spiritual core in one’s heart and a firm foundation under one’s feet. Over the past 99 years since the founding of the People’s Liberation Army, the reason why the army has been able to continuously achieve victory after victory and become a formidable force that cannot be overwhelmed or broken, one that conquers all and prevails in every battle, lies in the fundamental principle and system of the Party’s command of the guns reaching down to the grassroots and the endpoints. Currently, the struggle in the ideological realm remains complex and severe, with contests over root consolidation and root destruction, soul forging and soul corruption occurring everywhere. It is essential to continuously strengthen revolutionary political training, persevere in using Xi Jinping’s thought on strengthening the military to arm the minds of every officer and soldier, so that they can answer the fundamental question of “who they are fighting for and for whom they are carrying guns.” At the same time, we must thoroughly study and implement Xi Jinping’s thought on party building, strengthen frontline command centers and combat strongholds, enhance the leadership, organizational ability, and execution capacity of party organizations, ensuring that the army remains absolutely loyal, absolutely pure, and absolutely reliable.

Being able to fight and win battles is the fundamental objective of strong grassroots units. Whether it’s this strength or that strength, winning the battle is the true measure of true strength. The construction of grassroots units is complex and multifaceted, but the starting point and focus of all efforts must be on enhancing combat readiness. We must strengthen education on strategic preparedness, foster combat spirit, enhance practical training for the troops, firmly establish combat effectiveness as the sole fundamental criterion, educate and guide all officers and soldiers to focus their full energy on fighting, direct all their efforts towards combat, refrain from engaging in “showy displays” or seeking “empty fame,” vigorously rectify the lingering effects of peacekeeping, resolutely overcome the “二八 phenomenon,” imbue officers and soldiers with a strong sense of valor, and make the units formidable. This ensures that, upon the order of the Party and the people, the units can be mobilized, deployed, and effective in combat.

Strict laws and regulations, and a positive atmosphere are essential guarantees for strong grassroots work. During the period of the Jinggang Mountains struggle, Comrade Mao Zedong cautioned the Red Army soldiers to strictly observe discipline, maintain good relations with the local population, and take charge of the enforcement of various rules through party organizations at all levels. This was an important experience that enabled substantial development in the construction of our military’s grassroots units. Currently, after undergoing the intense refining process of political training, continuous efforts to rectify and discipline the atmosphere, and ongoing efforts to combat corruption, a regiment of iron discipline and righteous spirit is marching forward on the path of strengthening and developing the military. “It is advisable to use remaining courage to pursue the defeated enemy, rather than seeking fame by emulating Xiang Yu.” We must thoroughly implement the strategy of law-based military governance, firmly establish a sense of discipline, strictly enforce military rules and regulations, deepen the governance of military atmosphere, and always adhere to strictness, comprehensive strictness, and unwavering strictness. This will help guide officers and soldiers to respect authority, be cautious, and adhere to ethical standards. In this way, we can consolidate and develop harmonious, friendly, and pure internal relationships through mutual efforts, and lay a solid foundation for the stable and secure development of the military’s construction within a pure political environment.

When the grassroots are thriving, the military is vibrant; when the grassroots are stable, the military is as solid as a rock. This teaches us that as long as we advance the comprehensive improvement of our military’s grassroots construction in accordance with the “three toughness” standards, build pillars, frameworks, foundations, and platforms for combat effectiveness, the Party’s cause of strengthening the military will flourish, and the century-long endeavor of building a strong military will yield abundant results. (Looking into the New Era)