Military Education and Training in University: The Impact of the Russia-Ukraine Conflict on China

Abstract

The Russia–Ukraine conflict reveals transformative shifts in modern warfare across technological, mobilizational, and cognitive domains. The widespread use of drones, loitering munitions, electronic warfare, and open-source intelligence has lowered combat’s technological threshold, driving the “civilianization” of military capabilities. Meanwhile, cyber operations, information warfare, and social media have extended battlespace into cognitive domains, making information literacy and psychological resilience vital. Divergent mobilization systems further show that quality reserve personnel are decisive for protracted conflict. These changes challenge China’s university-based military education, which remains focused on drills, fitness, and general theory. Traditional training is insufficient for intelligentized, system-of-systems warfare, which requires technical proficiency, specialized skills, and security awareness. As universities concentrate high-quality youth, they are crucial platforms for strengthening defense reserves. Drawing lessons from the Russia–Ukraine war, this paper analyzes modern warfare’s demands on military human resources, identifies structural gaps in China’s military education, and proposes pathways toward a professionalized, intelligentized, and integrated peacetime-wartime training system. The study aims to offer theoretical and practical guidance for enhancing national defense readiness in the new era.