Some media reports say that a number of soldiers and division chiefs in the 40th Army based in northeastern China cheated their way through regular field exercises. Such lack of discipline among military personnel is alarming, because it could eventually compromise the safety of the nation, says a Xinhua News Agency article. Excerpts:

The investigation into allegations of cheating by some personnel revealed that some soldiers reduced the weight of the load they were supposed to carry during field training and three division chiefs asked four soldiers to hide en route to their destination so that they would not have to run the entire course. A total of 319 people were found to have cheated their way through the training session.

As a Chinese saying goes, a country nurtures its soldiers for 1,000 days for one day's battle. The battlefield is a life-and-death test for soldiers and their leaders. Therefore, soldiers would ultimately be risking their lives on the battlefield if they use unfair means to fulfill the demands of field training. The more they sweat off the battlefield, the less blood they will shed in a battle.

Armed forces sometimes slacken their vigilance in times of peace. For instance, some reports say some military units often cancel their regular training sessions in favor of other activities in these relatively peaceful times.

The fact is China faces threats even in times of peace. Some countries are threatening to usurp our territory. Terrorism is still a big threat to China. The other big threat is posed by natural disasters. And the armed forces should always be prepared to meet these challenges.

To ensure that the armed forces are always battle-ready, an accountability system should be introduced in the military to ensure that personnel are duly punished for indolent behavior even during training sessions.

The opinions expressed on this page do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.