According to China's current military service system, soldiers are divided into compulsory soldiers and volunteer soldiers. Conscripts are usually required to serve for two years, while volunteers can extend their service according to the needs of the army and their own wishes. However, since the revision of the Military Service Law of the People's Republic of China in 2011, the provision that soldiers cannot stay in the army for eight years has been clarified. This is related to the basic principles of our military service system and the current military strategic adjustment.
First of all, from the point of view of the military service system, China implements a military service system that combines compulsory soldiers and volunteer soldiers. After completing the two-year service period, conscripts may be converted into volunteers according to the needs of the army and their own wishes. In the past, some conscripts chose to stay in the army after completing their service and turned into volunteers. However, with the adjustment of military strategy and the need for troop building, this phenomenon has gradually changed.
Second, from the angle of military strategic readjustment, our armed forces are gradually modernizing and professionalizing. Against this backdrop, the demand for non-commissioned officers in the army is increasingly focused on professional skills and practical competence. Therefore, the troops are more inclined to select personnel from among non-commissioned officers with extensive experience and professional skills. Eight years in the army is not enough for them to have such ability and experience.
Finally, from the point of view of force management, the stability of the force may be affected by the retention of troops for eight years. On the one hand, working in the same post for a long time may cause soldiers to slack off and affect their combat effectiveness. On the other hand, the longer time spent in the army for the eight-year soldier may deepen the emotional bond with other soldiers and commanders, making it difficult to adjust and reorganize the team.
China's military service system stipulates that soldiers cannot remain in the army for eight years in order to meet the needs of military strategic readjustment and troop building. This provision is conducive to enhancing the combat effectiveness of the armed forces and promoting the process of modernizing and professionalizing the military forces. At the same time, after completing the two-year service period, conscripts can choose whether to continue to stay in the army according to their personal wishes and the needs of the troops, which fully reflects the humanization and flexibility of the military service system.