Ministry of Defense: The military plans to recruit about 17,500 regular high school graduates in 2026.

On the afternoon of June 9, Colonel Zhang Xiaogang, spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense, released information regarding recent military-related issues.

Reporter: The national college entrance examination for 2026 is currently underway. Please introduce the plans for recruiting regular high school graduates into military academies.

Zhang Xiaogang: In 2026, the armed forces plan to recruit approximately 17,500 regular high school graduates across 22 military academies. The recruitment work for military academies fully implements the deepening political training requirements, accurately aligns with the talent needs for military combat readiness and construction, and scientifically formulates recruitment plans based on the new educational and training tasks of military academies. There are three main characteristics: First, the deployment of comprehensive training for officer growth, which solidifies students' scientific culture, military and political qualities, and professional foundations during the undergraduate education phase, emphasizes the cultivation of command qualities, and lays a solid foundation for long-term development potential, establishing a strong basis for pre-service training in the military. Second, strengthening targeted training for political officers, relying on the National University of Defense Technology to offer two majors in Marxist theory and ideological and political education to recruit young students, thereby consolidating and strengthening our military's political officer team from the source. Third, implementing integrated training for clinical medicine “5+3,” starting this year at three military medical universities in the Army, Navy, and Air Force, establishing an integrated training system that connects five years of undergraduate medical education with three years of master's professional degree education and standardized residency training, cultivating a high-quality, specialized medical support team. Additionally, leveraging the unique advantages of the academies' disciplines, we will continue to develop talent in emerging technology fields.

With youth sharpening their swords, I am part of a strong military. We look forward to more aspiring young people applying to military academies, singing the song of youth in the vibrant military camps, and injecting inexhaustible motivation into the acceleration of building a world-class military. We encourage candidates and parents to pay attention to the official recruitment announcements from military academies and to be vigilant against online recruitment scams and false information.