The official mouthpiece of the People's Liberation Army has berated some commanders for wasting resources on self-serving projects at the expense of preparing the military for combat readiness.
In unusually blunt language, the PLA Daily said such behaviour had become endemic and amounted to a dereliction of duty which must be immediately rectified.
'The departure from the task of boosting fighting capabilities has led to the compulsive engagement in activities that are self-serving and equate to the settling of political accounts,' said the essay, which was published in the newspaper yesterday and featured prominently on the Xinhua website.
Written by a centre under the National Defence University that specialises in the study of political ideology, the essay cited as the basis for its argument a directive by President Hu Jintao that science should serve as the foundation for the military's development.
'Current and future resources are extremely valuable,' the article said.
'They must be used carefully to improve military development and be consolidated to raise the effectiveness of fighting capabilities.
'Any actions that betray the improvement of combat readiness are a serious waste of limited resources and cannot be forgiven.'
