“China is reshaping its military postgraduate system to make its armed forces “smarter,” including cultivating more technological talents…”
China’s Central Military Commission recently issued a document revealing that it will reshape military postgraduate education to make its armed forces “smarter.” The new curriculum will include joint combat command, new type combat forces, high-level scientific and technological innovation, and high-level strategic management. The accompanying article excerpts from Chinese sources provide some insight into this development. China’s largest and most influential media source, Xinhua, reports that the document proposes creating a team of trainers with combat experience and improving standards to evaluate the quality of postgraduate education. The document also emphasizes the importance of military postgraduate education in cultivating high-level military personnel, innovating military theory and national defense science and technology, and increasing combat effectiveness.
South China Morning Post, Hong Kong’s most prominent online English daily, notes that the PLA expects the total number of students to remain steady. However, the number of students enrolled in traditional military courses will decline while the number of students enrolled in new types of combat capability will increase. Military recruitment will target students and graduates of science, engineering, and other skills necessary to prepare for war. The article notes that the new emphasis on fostering military personnel with advanced technology backgrounds is part of China’s ongoing reforms intended to turn the People’s Liberation Army into a modern military force by 2027. The article cites an earlier Xinhua report that said the enrollment of military postgraduates this year is intended to “closely meet the needs for war preparation and the development of new-type combat force talent.”
Source:
“中央军委办公厅印发《关于加快军队研究生教育改革发展的意见》(Opinions on Accelerating the Reform and Development of Military Postgraduate Education),” Xinhua (China’s largest and most influential media source), 23 May 2022. https://www.chinanews.com.cn/gn/2022/05-23/9761542.shtml
The (document) focuses on training talent in joint combat command, new-type combat forces, high-level scientific and technological innovation, and high-level strategic management. It proposes reforms, such as strengthening the creation of a team of tutors who are knowledgeable in actual combat, and improving the standards of evaluating the quality of postgraduate education.
The (document) emphasizes (the idea) that military postgraduate education plays an important role in cultivating high-level military personnel, innovating military theory and national defense science and technology, and serving the combat effectiveness of the troops.
Source: Amber Wang, “China Pushes for Smarter Armed Forces with Education Shake Up On Path to Modern Military,” South China Morning Post (Hong Kong Chinese daily, once considered independent but now suspect of promoting China soft power abroad), 28 May 2022. https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3179428/china-pushes-smarter-armed-forces-education-shake-path-modern;
Enrollment numbers would remain stable but would include more students of new types of combat and plans to train personnel in military intelligence and aerospace.
China is reshaping its military postgraduate system to make its armed forces “smarter,” including cultivating more technological talents, a newly issued document shows.
The new talent development plan, which focuses on fostering military personnel with advanced technology backgrounds and combat skills, is part of the massive ongoing reforms intended to turn the People’s Liberation Army into a modern military force by 2027.
An earlier Xinhua report said the plan for enrolling military postgraduates this year would “closely meet the needs for war preparation and the development of new-type combat force talent.”
Besides the postgraduate sector reform, the overall military recruitment this year will give priority to university students and graduates majoring in science and engineering, and those with the skills needed for war preparedness, according to a teleconference on conscription in January.