After the PLA completed preliminary adjustments to its command and control mechanism, joint operations command mechanism, force structure and troop organization, “comprehensive enhancement of realistic combat training” has become its next-phase focus of reform. 

To push military training reform further ahead, the PLA revised its “Outline of Military Training” at the end of 2017 and put the revised edition into practice on Jan. 1, 2018 as the basis for deepening realistic military training.

The newest edition of “Outline of Military Training” is based on the demands of “refined training” in the new age of information warfare. Through subdivision of military training into more specific parts, training objectives are quantified, with each training course, stage, level and service member required to reach standards. The aim is to ensure that units at all levels put training content into practice according to unified standards and quantitative and qualitative requests.

Under the guidance of the revised “Outline of Military Training,” the PLA is very likely to place emphasis on areas such as “confrontational training,” “operational command training and training of new types of combat forces,” “mission topic training and all processes system of systems training,” and “enhancement of base training and training performance evaluation up to the level of realistic combat training.” The aim is to bring military training as close to real-life combat situations as possible. However, problems with “personnel training,” “command platform for training purposes,” “specialized blue army,” “specialized training base,” and “training content” are yet to be solved. The PLA still needs quite some time to reach the goal of modernization.