Military career: Starting with a recruitment letter

Chapter 178 Strengthening the Military through Science and Technology: The Game of Conferences

The dormitories assigned to them were not in the same place. After receiving the news, Chen Mo and Liang Hongjie went back to their respective dormitories to get their notebooks and pens.

Then, following Pei Shuaijun's instructions, they arrived at the base's conference room.

The meeting room was simply decorated, except for the August 1st Army Flag as an embellishment.

Only the front row, with its horizontal red banner with gold lettering that reads "Strengthening the Military through Science and Technology," remains the most eye-catching.

No wonder Captain Pei was in such a hurry, he kept cursing and swearing the whole way.

When Chen Mo reached the door with the meeting minutes book...

The instructors from the Army Academy, as well as the leaders from the Military Region Staff Department and Training Department, were all present.

The seating arrangement was quite interesting.

The trainees and veterans from the military all consciously sat in the back, near the corner.

The higher-ranking leaders sit at the very front.

Throughout the conference room, the seating arrangements and postures of the attendees were clearly distinct.

The soldiers and cadets behind them sat upright, their heads tilted back like giraffes, not daring to blink even once.

The leaders sitting at the front were much more casual, with almost everyone holding a cigarette.

People who know each other chat and laugh loudly.

But it was also smoky and hot.

The thick smoke, a mixture of nicotine and alkaloids, would likely knock someone over if they plunged in without being a heavy smoker.

Chen Mo arrived a little late, and there was no room to squeeze into the back.

He, Pei Shuaijun, and Liang Hongjie could only find a seat in the middle near the aisle.

There were quite a few attendees, many of whom Chen Mo recognized.

Zheng Lin, the commander of the 189th Division, Qin Quan'an, the chief of staff of the 63rd Army, and Feng Yunqian, the chief of staff of the 7th Armored Brigade, were all present.

This wasn't the first time Chen Mo had participated in a conference of this level.

But this time, the participants were indeed the most diverse.

From single-star shoulder insignia to sergeant, from lieutenant to senior colonel, from the People's Armed Police to the People's Liberation Army and then to military academies, people from all levels of units are represented.

However, the conference room, which was only a couple hundred square meters, was crammed with more than a hundred people.

It's fortunate that the air conditioning was on full blast, freezing cold.

Otherwise, in this weather, people would either be choked by the heat or find it unbearable.

About six or seven minutes have passed.

Qin Quan'an, the chief of staff of the army, who was chatting with someone in the front row, was reminded by his assistant that the meeting was about to start.

He and Director Luo of the Army Academy exchanged pleasantries for a while.

He then stood up, adjusted his military uniform, and strode to the podium at the very front of the conference room.

Chief of Staff Qin walked to the microphone stand, placed his hands on it, and glanced at the audience.

The conference is about to begin.

The cadres who were smoking inside put out their cigarettes, and someone even went to open the windows at the front and back to ventilate the room.

"Comrades, today is a good day for the completion and official opening of the Shimen Army Academy training base. I have been invited to speak on behalf of the students."

"I believe everyone here understands the future role of this base, so I won't say any more."

"Comrades, do you recognize these four characters?"

As Qin Quan'an spoke, he raised his hand to indicate the four large characters "Strengthening the Military through Science and Technology" on the red banner at the top of the conference room.

Before anyone could respond.

秦参谋长便继续道:“从1997年9月12日大会报告中，要求在80年代裁军减员100万的基础上，我们正式打响了三年内再裁剪50万的号角。”

"Under the unified deployment and leadership of ZYJW, this military streamlining and reorganization was carried out in three steps. In the second half of last year, 1998, the streamlining and adjustment of the headquarters and troops were completed. In the first half of this year, the streamlining and adjustment of equipment and logistics support units were completed."

"In the second half of this year, we will complete the adjustment and streamlining of institutions such as colleges and universities and training organizations."

"In response to the problems of large leadership and administrative organs and unreasonable organizational structure, some departments of military and above organs have been merged or abolished, reducing the number of internal organs and personnel."

"After the adjustment, the headquarters and military regions, service branches and arms, some of the abolition and merger of amateur departments and their subordinate institutions, the total number of departments above the corps level in the whole army was reduced by more than 1500, and the number of personnel in the organs was reduced by 20%."

"All of the more than 2900 production management agencies and regional enterprise management agencies engaged in commercial production by the military have been abolished or transferred to local authorities."

"Comrades, I know that in this major demobilization, many of our comrades, leaders, and subordinates have had to take off their uniforms and leave their units."

"But times are progressing, the country needs to develop, and national defense needs to be built."

"We are striving to streamline the relationship between leadership agencies and departments by adjusting functions and optimizing organizational structures, so that the military leadership command system can become more streamlined, agile, and efficient."

"."

Chief of Staff Qin was speaking on the stage.

Chen Mo sat in the audience, occasionally taking notes in his notebook, as did the others.

In any case, it doesn't matter whether we understand what the leaders are saying at these meetings.

The act of recording must be done, even if it has to be faked.

In fact, the core of the meeting was quite simple.

No matter how eloquently Qin Quan'an spoke or how sophisticated his vocabulary was, it was all just a draft provided by his confidential secretary, which the leader simply read aloud when he went on stage.

Whether discussing troop reduction or the abolition and merger of military academies and training institutions in the latter half of 1999.

The core message it conveys is singular: strengthening the military through science and technology.

Why has Chen Mo always felt that 1999 was particularly important?
This is not without reason.

Blue Army battalions began to appear not only at the end of the century.

Furthermore, at this time, the higher authorities had already put forward the strategy of strengthening the military through science and technology. In order to reorganize and reform the management system of weapons and equipment of the entire army, the General Armaments Department was established at this time.

We must simultaneously develop new weapons and equipment and manage existing ones, and implement unified and centralized leadership over the development of weapons and equipment.

The equipment departments at all levels of the military have been successfully established, forming a new top-down equipment management system.

In just over a decade, the field army has transformed from being bullied to undergoing a complete metamorphosis from mechanization to combined arms operations, and then to informatization and digitalization.

This great project, which others spent decades researching, we shortened the time by several times. The real starting point was only in 1999.

Qin Quan'an focused on his views on strengthening the military through science and technology, as well as the strength of the reform efforts from higher authorities.

In short, both the words and the underlying message supported and demonstrated understanding of the information-based experiment.

The chief of staff spoke for about half an hour, and amidst enthusiastic applause, Luo Yaowu, director of the Department of Strategic and Operational Studies at the Army Academy, took the stage.

Director Luo wasn't as impassioned as Chief of Staff Qin; after all, he was the person in charge of the base and bore the heavy responsibility of the Army Academy.

Taking office is not as simple as just saying nice things and reciting policies.

After Luo Yaowu went on stage, he swept his serious gaze across the audience and then straightened his posture.

He solemnly inquired, "Comrades, before I speak on behalf of the group, I would like to ask you a question."

"The theme of today's meeting is strengthening the military through science and technology. So what does strengthening the military through science and technology mean, and why do we need to do so?"

Can anyone answer this?

The leadership styles of the academy and the military are different; the former takes teaching as its responsibility, while the latter mainly conveys speeches.

heard asking.

The students who had been dozing off earlier seemed to suddenly find their own value.

One of the trainees sitting in the back immediately stood up and said, "Report."

"speak."

"Strengthening the military through science and technology means enhancing the national strategic defense science and technology capabilities, strengthening the overall planning of defense science and technology strategy, consolidating the strategic foundation of defense science and technology, and implementing strategic defense science and technology projects."

"Yeah, very good."

Upon hearing the students' answers, Luo Yaowu nodded slightly: "Does anyone else have a different opinion?"

"report!"

"speak."

"I think a few more points should be added. For example, in strengthening the military through science and technology, we should attach importance to building a strategic platform for national defense science and technology, optimizing the strategic layout of national defense science and technology, cultivating strategic talents for national defense science and technology, creating a good environment for innovation and competition, and forming a competitive mechanism that is conducive to the emergence of talents of all kinds as soon as possible."

"Okay, sit down."

Luo Yaowu simply nodded, then continued to scan the audience below the stage.

"Does anyone else have something to add?"

Hearing the questions from the stage, Chen Mo turned his head slightly to look behind him. Someone seemed about to speak but then sat down, probably because they hadn't thought of a point yet.

Some people kept their heads down, frowning in deep thought, seemingly not intending to respond.

Some people were so anxious that they scratched their heads and hesitated to get up.

The topic of "strengthening the military through science and technology" is too broad. It's correct to discuss it from the perspective of military research, and it's equally correct to discuss it from the perspective of scientific research.

Even things like strengthening national defense and streamlining reforms are considered correct.

Chen Mo wasn't quite sure what answer Director Luo wanted at this meeting.

As he was weighing his options, before he had even prepared a compelling argument, he turned around and his gaze met that of Director Luo.

"Report!!"

Their eyes met; it wouldn't be Chen Mo's style to not stand up now. "Hehe, before this young comrade speaks, I should give a brief introduction."

Luo Yaowu seemed quite satisfied when he saw Chen Mo get up.

The sudden differential treatment caused many of the veterans and trainees who were sitting upright in the back row to look up at Chen Mo.

Everyone looked at him with suspicion.

After all, trainees who are brought to the base by instructors are usually good at everything, and they have their own little circles.

Although Chen Mo also held the rank of cadet, many people knew that he had come with the Army Academy's motorcade.

But I don't know him.

What's this guy's major? The cadets in the back row exchanged glances, most of them looking confused.

Even if some people know him, they've only seen him run the 1000-meter obstacle course at the military training ground. They don't think someone who's been promoted to officer can offer any useful insights.

The concept of a hierarchy of contempt exists between military academies and the military.

However, these subtle actions only occurred in the back row; the leaders in the front row remained quite calm.

Luo Yaowu didn't care about anything else. When he saw Chen Mo get up, he simply waved him over and said, "Come on, come to the front of the stage."

"Yes!"

Chen Mo responded and immediately set off, his gaze firm as he looked straight ahead, arriving at the side of the podium.

With a "snap," he turned around, stood at attention, and saluted the entire group of people in the conference room.

"Let me introduce you, comrades. This young comrade played a part in the successful completion and establishment of our base."

"The idea of ​​training non-commissioned officers was originally proposed by him."

Luo Yaowu finished speaking.

The leaders in the front row, who had initially paid little attention to Chen Mo's appearance on stage, finally looked up and began to take this young man seriously.

Feng Yunqian, the chief of staff of the 7th Armored Brigade of the 63rd Army, straightened his back and said with a smile, "This young comrade is from our brigade. He was promoted to officer during his time as a private. If I remember correctly, your name is Xiucai, right?"

"Yes, Chief of Staff. My name is Chen Mo. Chen means 'ear east' and Mo means 'to be silent'. Many squad leaders and superiors in the unit call me 'Xiucai' (a scholar)."

Chen Mo puffed out his chest and responded in a loud voice.

Regardless of the circumstances, the chief of staff of the 7th Armored Brigade is his own unit's leader. Since someone from his own unit has spoken up, he must respond openly and honestly.

"Scholar, I vaguely remember you."

Qin Quan'an, the military chief of staff who was the first to speak on stage, nodded with a smile and said, "I've heard Director Tao mention you before. You're a good young man."

"Thank you for the compliment, Commander!" Chen Mo saluted again, behaving with exceptional propriety.

"Hey, I'm not trying to flatter you." Qin Quan'an waved his hand. "Since you proposed the sergeant training program, can you explain your reasons?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Mo reacted slightly slow.

It wasn't until Director Luo coughed lightly behind him that he seemed to just realize what was happening, scratching his head with a slightly embarrassed expression: "Sir, I only have some humble opinions, some of my own insights."

His hesitation was deliberate, since the base's affairs would involve information technology experiments, and even if some of those present had seen the documents, they would still need someone's permission to speak.

In addition, the way things are done in the military is different from that in military academies. At the Army Academy, if Chen Mo had any problems, he would be dealing with a group of academics.

If he just said it outright, he would simply be facing a group of old men who would interrogate him thoroughly, and then they would seriously investigate.

However, it's best to keep a low profile when facing these high-ranking leaders in the military.

Because not everyone likes your confident and articulate demeanor.

In his previous life, Chen Mo had dealt with many leaders of the military region, some of whom were as stubborn as him, such as the one right in front of him.

Not everyone is as easy to talk to as Director Tao of the Political Department.

This is why he never raised similar opinions in the reconnaissance company or in the 7th Armored Brigade; it's likely that it would be pointless to raise them anyway, as everyone has their own area of ​​expertise.

The most important thing is to do what needs to be done in the right environment.

“Just say it. Being coy and hesitant is not like the Seventh Division.”

"speak!"

Qin Quan'an straightened up, leaned back in his chair, and looked at Chen Mo.

"Yes!"

Chen Mo saluted again.

"The reason I brought up the training of non-commissioned officers is that I learned about the three elements of war at the academy, the structural changes of armored forces, and the large-scale decentralization of technical equipment. I also came into contact with several sets of data from information technology experiments."

"Personally, I think the reason why information technology experiments often fail is not because the equipment is advanced or the reputation of the unit being tested is so great."

"It lies with the people who operate these machines."

When talking about his areas of expertise, Chen Mo's demeanor subtly changed.

He, who had just claimed to offer "humble opinions," transformed completely when he began to speak eloquently, exuding a different aura from the inside out.

"When I first saw information about information warfare, I also thought about what the essence of information warfare is."

"I've considered the right to control information, the overwhelming power of communications, electronic warfare, and many other aspects."

"But eventually I figured it out."

"The essence of informatization is computing. I have seen the data from previous experiments. When the experimental unit was conducting exercises, its command system could contact every soldier, and the communication system could monitor all electronic signals of the unit."

"This means that in a fully information-based experimental unit, commanders can form mini command posts to simultaneously monitor and calculate the dynamic changes of dozens of enemy units on the battlefield. Once war breaks out, our side can make the best response as quickly as possible."

"There is also enough time to highly optimize the allocation of forces."

"But unfortunately, all previous experiments have failed."

"Even with an exceptionally efficient command system and a great deal of room for tactical choice and flexibility, the experiment still failed."

"The problem isn't that the equipment is bad, or that the warriors are bad, but that the synergy between the warriors and the equipment is too low."

"I've seen some data. The most alarming aspect of the entire exercise was that the pilot unit command issued a total of 76 tactical orders and 25 coordination orders. In the post-battle assessment, the order effectiveness rate was 95%, but the execution rate was only 15%."

Chen Mo became more and more enthusiastic as he spoke.

Those in the audience who had read the document "On Informationized Warfare" understood what he was talking about.

Those who hadn't seen it were somewhat confused by what they heard.

However, this did not prevent those present from subtly changing their perception of Chen Mo.

Why is the execution rate so low?

"Because of the powerful computing capabilities of information technology, soldiers who were already unfamiliar with the equipment simply couldn't react."

"When talking about informatization, we have to mention armored forces. We only had armored infantry in the early 90s. For the sake of informatization experiments, we asked a group of people who had just become armored infantry to explore and adapt to informatized warfare, which is more difficult than pure mechanized warfare. The result was bound to be failure."

"Recommending and training non-commissioned officers is because non-commissioned officers are an important component of the army's combat effectiveness, and most of them serve as squad leaders, serving as the head of the soldiers and the tail of the officers."

"They are the absolute backbone of the combat effectiveness structure of grassroots companies. If you look at foreign militaries, the service years of senior sergeants are much longer than ours."

"Currently, the use of non-commissioned officers in our army is too singular. Although the professional scope covers all branches of the armed forces, it is still in the initial exploratory stage. Skills training relies on routine training organized by division and regiment-level units, which is a waste of administrative resources."

"Furthermore, there is a lack of clear career development plans for non-commissioned officers, and their service is too stable. As far as I know, the skills that non-commissioned officers here learn from enlistment to retirement are very limited, and the potential of the group is not fully developed. There are also very few people who move around."

"We are still far from meeting the standard of being proficient in one skill and having multiple specializations. As the most direct commanders of soldiers, non-commissioned officers actually undertake tasks such as grassroots combat command, daily training, and management."

"Most of the company and platoon level officers are only responsible for formulating combat plans, unit coordination, and logistical support. The real execution and supervision are done by these non-commissioned officers."

“Non-commissioned officers have been in their units long enough that they have the ability to lead troops, coordinate, and understand a great deal of equipment far better than ordinary soldiers.”

"Therefore, I think that the training of non-commissioned officers should not only focus on the current information technology experiments."

"In the future, when information technology emerges on a large scale, there will be even more non-commissioned officers who will need training."

"The essence of informatization is computing, which requires a large number of experienced people. The purpose of this experiment is to enable mass transformation in the future."

"Therefore, I believe that training non-commissioned officers is not just for the immediate future, but also to strengthen their career planning and pave the way for their future."

Chen Mo stated his reasons in one breath.

This insight and reasoning are mostly based on my views from my previous life, with a small part being what I've recently encountered at the academy.

Chen Mo finished speaking.

The entire conference room was quiet, with only the occasional sound of pages turning.

Qin Quan'an also fell into deep thought, silently weighing the suggestion he had just made.

Director Luo, on the other hand, raised his hand, pinched his nose, and smiled without saying a word.

He looked quite relaxed.

He invited Chen Mo to the meeting because he wanted to use Chen Mo to clarify the matter.

On the way, he arranged for someone to hand Chen Mo the information of the non-commissioned officers transferred from the army.

These were all intentional.

As the chief of staff of the 7th Division, couldn't Luo Yaowu see that the veterans transferred from the base this time were all scraps and unusable?

But since the military was only cooperating with the experiment, it wasn't appropriate to be too direct about it openly.

It's good to let Chen Mo say it.

After all, he was a cadet and someone who came from the military.

If someone so young has this level of awareness, how can your various departments still have the nerve to keep stuffing in scraps?

We need to show some attitude!

(End of this chapter)