On July 8, Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan emphasized at a national defense mobilization commission meeting of the Nanjing Military Area Command that efforts should be made to unify our thinking and make pioneering efforts to create a new situation in national defense mobilization so as to constantly enhance our national defense capability and provide powerful guarantee for our national safety and unification and build a well-off society in an all-round way.

Cao, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission and the state councilor, pointed out that the strengthening of national defense mobilization is not only an important means to enhance the national defense capability, but also has a direct bearing on the safety and development of our country.

Cao pointed out that we should deepen the reform of the militia and the reserve forces, group them in the light of the need of "war", optimize their structure in the light of "how to use them", and take wining the high-tech war as the standard for the development of these paramilitary forces. We must boost the scientific and technological quality of the reserve forces and do a good job of mobilizing material resources and enhancing the capability of transition from peacetime to wartime footing. We must give overall consideration to the need of the market as well as the need of the "battlefield" to gradually establish a comprehensive support system of the national economy featuring dual-utilization of peacetime and wartime and compatibility between the military and civilian. We must speed up construction of infrastructure, such as roads, harbors and docks, and build up a contingent specialized in rush-repair of engineering projects and a transportation contingent to ensure the readiness of wartime communication facilities. Measures should be taken to give priority to enhance the comprehensive protective capability of large and medium sized cities and key objects, and intensify the training of air defense units (elements) of the militia and the reserve force as well as specialized civil air defense units, and explore effective fighting methods and constantly improve the anti-air raid capacity under hi-tech conditions.

Cao emphasized that, on the basis of taking over past successful experiences, we should adapt ourselves to new global military changes and the new characteristics arising from the development of socialist market economy resulting from the reform and opening-up, meet the new requirement of the national defense modernization drive, solve problems with new ideas, and constantly create new paths for national defense mobilization with Chinese characteristics. We must make bold innovation centering around enhancing the mobilization function of the governments, perfecting mobilization organizations, straightening out the mobilization relations and enhancing the capability of transition from peacetime footing to wartime footing so as to set up a authoritative, efficient national defense mobilization system featuring close coordination between the army and the civilian, and combination of peacetime requirement with wartime requirement. Measures should be taken to enhance national defense education and the national defense awareness of the whole people.　

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