Comments on Peng Dehuai’s Report Concerning Strategic Guidelines for Defending the Motherland and Issues Related to National Defense Construction [1]
(April 2, 1956)
To Comrade Peng Dehuai: This document has been reviewed and is deemed suitable for use. The views of the other members of the Central Committee will be communicated to you after they have examined the materials.
Mao Zedong
April 2nd
[1]
These comments were written on a brief report submitted by Peng Dehuai, a member of the Central Military Commission, Vice Premier of the State Council, and Minister of National Defense, to Mao Zedong on March 23, 1956. The report summarized the outcomes of an expanded meeting of the Central Military Commission and outlined strategic guidelines for defending the motherland and matters related to national defense construction. At the expanded meeting held on March 6, 1956, Peng Dehuai’s report on strategic guidelines and national defense consisted of two parts:
The first part addressed strategic guidelines, focusing on the following points:
First,
striving for lasting peace while remaining prepared to respond to sudden emergencies;
second, the formulation of strategic guidelines;
third,
a strategy of active defense;
fourth, the combination of positional warfare with mobile warfare;
fifth,
several key issues concerning operational command. The second part dealt with national defense construction, primarily covering the following topics:
first,
troop building and combat readiness;
second,
preparations for mobilization;
third,
establishing military scientific research efforts.