Innovation in the Army's Ideological and Political Work under the New Situation

With the advent of a new era in our country, military construction has also entered a new stage of development. Under the new circumstances, the ideological and political work in the military not only needs to inherit the fine traditions but also must achieve innovative development in terms of concept renewal, methods, and content systems to meet the new demands of information warfare, effectively respond to the impact of diverse cultures, further enhance the unity and execution within the military, and ensure that our military always listens to the Party's command, is capable of winning battles, and maintains excellent conduct.

I. Construct a New Conceptual System for Military Ideological and Political Work

(1) Establish the Core Values Orientation of the Military in the New Era

The core values of the military in the new era are the shared value beliefs and behavioral guidelines for all military personnel, centered on loyalty to the Party, service to the people, and heroic combat. In the process of constructing a new ideological framework, it is essential to emphasize absolute loyalty, taking Xi Jinping's Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and Xi Jinping's Thought on Strengthening the Military as the soul and mainline of military ideological and political work. This approach strengthens the understanding and faith of officers and soldiers in the Party's innovative theories, cultivating their political character of unwavering obedience to the Party's command. Simultaneously, adhering to the people-centered development ideology, educating military personnel to deeply recognize the fundamental attributes of the people's army originating from the people and serving the people, actively participating in social services and emergency rescue activities, closely connecting with the masses, and fostering a deep affection for the people. Additionally, promoting the combat spirit of valor and bravery, fostering heroism and collectivism, inspiring officers and soldiers to take bold responsibility and dare to confront challenges, continuously enhancing the level of realistic combat training and winning capabilities.

(II) Strengthen the Armament of Marxist Military Theory

Marxist military theory, as the cornerstone of the modern Chinese military theoretical system with Chinese characteristics, holds significant guiding significance in the ideological and political work of the military in the new era. To better adapt to the military needs under the new circumstances, we need to deeply study and accurately grasp Marxist views on war and military methodology, integrating them throughout the entire process of military construction, management, and operations. In conjunction with the demands of national security and military struggle preparation, we must deepen our understanding of the characteristics and laws of modern warfare, guiding officers and soldiers to systematically study Mao Zedong's military thought, Deng Xiaoping's military construction thought in the new era, Jiang Zemin's thought on national defense and military construction, and so on. Particularly, we must delve into Xi Jinping's thought on strengthening the military, which is a crucial guiding ideology for military construction in the new era. By arming our minds with scientific theory and guiding practice, we can achieve unity of knowledge and action, further enhancing the theoretical level and political literacy of officers and soldiers, promoting the in-depth development of military ideological and political work, and providing a solid theoretical foundation and ideological guarantee for realizing the goal of a strong military.

(III) Promote the Innovation and Development of Military Culture

In the innovation and development of military culture, it is essential to focus on military culture as the key vehicle for shaping the spirit and demeanor of military personnel, uniting morale, and enhancing overall combat effectiveness, actively promoting its modern transformation and intrinsic development. The primary task is to deeply excavate and inherit the red genes, which includes strengthening the protection and rational utilization of various red education resources such as revolutionary sites, memorials, and literature, through activities such as lectures on Party and military history, reenactments of historical scenes, and singing red songs, vividly showcasing the glorious journey of our military, awakening the memory of revolutionary traditions among officers and soldiers, and strengthening their sense of historical mission and responsibility. At the same time, closely aligning with the trends of the times and technological advancements, the forms and carriers of military culture dissemination should be innovated. For example, utilizing digital and networked technologies to create smart military camps, constructing online education platforms, and organizing activities such as cloud classrooms and web seminars to broaden the space for officers and soldiers to acquire knowledge and exchange ideas. Additionally, promoting military-themed films, literature, and organizing cultural festivals and sports competitions within the barracks to meet the diverse spiritual and cultural needs of the officers and soldiers, enhancing the cultural vibrancy and cohesion within the unit. Furthermore, it is necessary to advocate for the deep integration of legal, scientific, and combat cultures, incorporating legal awareness, innovative spirit, and combat will into daily education and training, focusing on cultivating habits of governing the military by law and acting in accordance with regulations among the officers and soldiers, establishing a value orientation that reveres science and pursues truth, and fostering a combat spirit of advancing bravely and fighting to win.

II. Exploring New Paths and Methods for the Ideological and Political Work in the Military

(1) Enhancing the Effectiveness of Ideological and Political Education through New Media Technology

In the tide of the information age, new media technology has become a powerful engine for enhancing the effectiveness of military ideological and political education. The military can build exclusive mobile learning platforms and online education systems, such as developing digital textbooks and micro-courses that include Xi Jinping's series of speeches, Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, Xi Jinping's Thought on Strengthening the Military, and other content, making abstract theoretical knowledge vivid and easy to understand through a variety of forms such as pictures, text, audio, and video. At the same time, by applying big data and cloud computing technologies, real-time collection and analysis of soldiers' online learning behavior data can be conducted to understand their learning interests, progress, and difficulties, thereby intelligently recommending personalized learning materials and courses, achieving a refined educational management model of "teaching according to aptitude" and "one strategy per person." Moreover, the military can fully utilize social media platforms such as WeChat official accounts, Weibo, and Douyin to hold online lectures and forums, produce short videos rich in positive energy, and even conduct theme party day and educational activities through live streaming, encouraging soldiers to actively participate in discussions and share their experiences, thereby significantly enhancing the interactivity and experiential feel of the education, and greatly increasing soldiers' acceptance and enthusiasm for ideological and political education.

(II) Establish a comprehensive, all-encompassing, and all-round mechanism for ideological and political work.

Building a comprehensive, all-staff, all-process, and all-round ideological and political work mechanism first requires the formation of a top-down, horizontally extensive, and vertically thorough work network. At the organizational level, the core leadership position of Party committees at all levels must be clearly defined, with a system of division of responsibilities under the leadership of the head, ensuring efficient coordination among various departments and levels, thus forming a strong ideological and political work synergy. Starting from the source, the red gene is implanted from the very beginning of a new recruit's entry into the military, with solid efforts in initiating education for joining the Party, strengthening ideal and belief education, supplemented by career planning guidance, professional ethics education, and legal education, helping officers and soldiers establish correct outlooks on life, values, and the world. Tailored to the professional characteristics and developmental needs of officers and soldiers at different stages of service and in different positions, a hierarchical and categorized ideological and political education plan is designed, such as focusing on basic theoretical infusion and behavioral norms cultivation in the initial stage, business capability enhancement and team collaboration training in the intermediate stage, and leadership development and strategic thinking shaping in the advanced stage, ensuring that ideological and political work permeates every aspect of officers and soldiers' growth without any blind spots. Additionally, a scientific evaluation system is established, incorporating the achievements of ideological and political work into the overall performance assessment of the military, with special awards set up to motivate Party organizations at all levels and the vast majority of officers and soldiers to actively engage in the innovative practice of ideological and political work.

(III) Innovate Psychological Service Mechanisms to Enhance Soldiers' Psychological Quality and Stress Resistance

Facing increasingly complex battlefield environments and intense task pressures, the psychological quality and stress resilience of officers and soldiers are crucial. To this end, it is essential to comprehensively innovate psychological service mechanisms, adhering to the principles of prevention first and intervention as a complement. Firstly, establish and improve systems for psychological assessment, counseling, and crisis intervention, ensuring that every officer and soldier undergoes regular professional mental health evaluations, promptly identifying and addressing potential psychological issues to prevent minor problems from accumulating into major risks. Extensively carry out mental health publicity and education, disseminate knowledge on psychological adjustment, create a warm and harmonious psychological adjustment environment, help officers and soldiers establish correct mental health concepts, and learn self-regulation and psychological protection. Secondly, rely on advanced psychological training facilities and technologies, such as virtual reality and simulation training, to simulate real battlefield environments and set various stress scenarios, specifically training officers and soldiers in their psychological endurance and rapid adaptability under extreme conditions, enhancing their psychological resilience in complex battlefield environments. Additionally, set up specialized psychological training courses, such as emotion management, stress regulation, and decision-making, combining with the actual needs of officers and soldiers, adopting flexible and diverse teaching forms, ensuring that they acquire practical and effective psychological adjustment techniques, thereby demonstrating stronger psychological resilience and combat effectiveness in actual work.

III. Conclusion

Facing the new missions and requirements bestowed upon military ideological and political work in the new era, it is imperative to consistently adhere to keeping pace with the times, pioneering innovation, building on the foundation of constructing a new conceptual framework, fully utilizing new media technologies, improving the comprehensive work mechanisms that cover all personnel, throughout all stages, and across all dimensions, and strengthening the construction of psychological service systems, comprehensively enhancing the ideological and political literacy and psychological resilience of officers and soldiers. Only in this way can we ensure that our military remains true to its original character, consistently maintains high morale and robust combat effectiveness, and faithfully fulfills the new era missions and tasks entrusted by the Party and the people. In the future, it is necessary to continue in-depth research and exploration of new paths and methods for military ideological and political work, enabling it to play an even more significant role in safeguarding national sovereignty, security, and development interests, and in advancing the modernization of national defense and the military in the grand practice.