Chapter 1060
: During the commendation ceremony, Ding Ping's military ranks were about to change
Su Dingping nodded slightly without saying anything.
"Commander Xu also said that the establishment of the Strategic Support Force has already begun, but no specific notice has been issued yet regarding when it will be established."
Wanlong reported to his superiors again, "There's nothing else to do."
"Now that Dark Sword No. 1 has been sent, the training of the pilots should begin."
After thinking for a moment, Su Dingping said, "By the way, what does Chief Deng want to see me about? At the moment, I haven't been involved much in army equipment research. If he calls again next time, I'll tell him to contact the army research department at the Pangu Research Base directly."
He paused for a moment before slowly saying, "Six months have passed. I wonder how far the Pangu Research Base has progressed in its research on various technologies, and whether they have been applied in practice."
"Looks like I'll have to take some time to check on them. I wonder if they've encountered any difficulties."
"As for the establishment of the Strategic Support Force, it is a crucial part of the new three-step strategy. It seems that the leaders have also realized the role of smooth communication among the three services on the battlefield."
"During the last joint military operation, there were some communication problems, which almost caused a major blunder."
Although the previous military operation was successful and Dragon Claw Island was captured, Su Dingping still discovered a huge problem exposed in the inter-service communications.
The establishment of the Strategic Support Force is precisely aimed at addressing this shortcoming.
Future combat operations will not be individual battles fought by a single branch of the armed forces, but joint operations by the three services.
This necessitates the construction of an information network connecting the three branches of the armed forces to ensure uninterrupted communication, and even allow headquarters to directly command the combat operations of every soldier.
"Old Wan, do I have to go to the military commendation ceremony?"
To be honest, Su Dingping was unwilling to attend such meetings, feeling that it was a waste of time and that he would rather stay in the lab and do more research.
Especially now that the development of the "pressurized water nuclear reactor" is at a critical stage, even taking a single step away is a waste of time. Of course, this does not mean that he is disobeying orders or ignoring instructions.
"Commander, I'm afraid I can't make that decision. Commander Xu specifically emphasized that you must be present."
Wanlong gently shook his head. "Chief, there must be a reason why you must attend. It will only take a day. You can take this time to rest."
"Commander, you haven't had a rest for a long time."
At this point, he truly felt sorry for Su Dingping.
"So that's how it is."
Su Dingping pondered for a moment, but did not immediately give a definite answer.
Regardless of the medal or honor, they are all external things to him, and he doesn't value them. Therefore, whether or not he participates in the commendation ceremony is not very meaningful.
Just as Wanlong said, attending an event that would waste a whole day was simply too much for the technical analysis that was at a critical juncture, making him hesitant.
"Do you really have to go?"
Su Dingping asked again.
"Commander, that's what Commander Xu instructed."
Wan Long took a deep breath and forced himself to speak again, "Chief, I know you don't want to go and are afraid of wasting time, but to say something I shouldn't, you've made such a great contribution to the Navy this time. If you, as the Chief Engineer of the Navy, don't attend, wouldn't it be a bit inappropriate?"
"Perhaps you don't know how important you are to us naval personnel."
After a brief moment of thought, Su Dingping felt that Wan Long's words made sense.
His absence might negatively impact naval morale and make frontline commanders uneasy. Furthermore, he wanted to take this opportunity to have a serious discussion with Xu Dongguo and other senior officers about his recent thoughts.
"That's fine."
Su Dingping took a sip of tea. "Tell Chief Xu that I will definitely attend tomorrow."
"Yes, sir."
After leaving the office, Wan Long reported the situation to the Navy Headquarters.
Upon hearing the news, Xu Dongguo finally breathed a sigh of relief, and a pleasant smile appeared on his face.
In fact, he was really worried that Su Dingping would be unwilling to attend because of his focus on military technology, which would undoubtedly leave the naval commendation ceremony incomplete.
It should be noted that Su Dingping is the main figure at this naval commendation ceremony. If the main figure is not present, then what is the point of holding this ceremony?
"Old Qian, it's really too difficult to get Dingping to agree to this."
Xu Dongguo looked at Qian Wenbing sitting next to him and said, "Dingping now is even more hardworking than a workaholic. I have never seen such a talented and hardworking young man."
"I'm really afraid that one day his health will collapse from exhaustion."
Qian Wenbing nodded in deep agreement and said, "Then we must provide him with the best medical care and do all the logistical work for him so that he has no worries."
Xu Dongguo quickly replied, "I'm already doing that, and it's being done according to standards and treatment that exceed mine."
"now it's right."
Qian Wenbing nodded, then asked, "How are the preparations for the conference going?"
"Everything is ready, and we're just waiting for the meeting to start tomorrow night."
Xu Dongguo flipped through the notebook and then thought of something. "What kind of reward do you think the higher-ups will give to Dingping this time?"
"You're asking me? I don't know either."
Qian Wenbing shook his head. "Besides, wouldn't it be too much for us to discuss matters from above?"
"Yes, it's over, it's over."
Xu Dongguo was slightly taken aback, then laughed.
Su Dingping is now someone the higher-ups have taken a liking to. As for how to reward him, that's a matter for the higher-ups to decide. It's really a bit much for the two of them to discuss it here.
If Su Dingping were in a high-ranking military position like them, they could imagine that he would be promoted to the rank of senior colonel.
But now Su Dingping is in a technical military position, so his promotion path is different from theirs.
Of course, they both believed their military rank would definitely be promoted, but what the other benefits would be was unclear. However, they imagined they would be very generous.
In any case, the navy has only had one example so far: Su Dingping.
Even the Navy's top commander, Liu Huaming, was confused about the specific situation. After all, Su Dingping's sudden emergence was unprecedented for the entire Navy!
"Old Xu, we don't need to worry about Dingping's affairs."
After a moment, Qian Wenbing chimed in, "He's just someone in our navy, but he's already on the radar of higher-ups and in the top talent pool." "How to honor someone like that is beyond our control. In short, let's just wait and see; there's bound to be a surprise."
Xu Dongguo nodded slightly and said, "You're right. Even if we wanted to worry about it, it's not our place."
At this point, he picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and then said, "Let's take care of the things at hand first."
"Okay, then I'll be going now."
Qian Wenbing thought for a moment, and seeing that there was nothing else, he stood up and said, "If there's anything, just let me know. We'll work together to make this commendation ceremony for the Navy a great success."
He had a vague feeling that this naval commendation ceremony was definitely of great significance.
There's a good chance a high-ranking official will be sent to personally commend Su Dingping; such treatment is unprecedented for the Navy. Therefore, it must be done in a grand manner.
"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on things the whole time."
Xu Dongguo nodded. "Go ahead and do what you need to do. I'll take care of you later."
Time flew by and it was already the next day. At the dedicated airport for the integrated naval military factory, Su Dingping, escorted by Wan Long, boarded a special plane bound for the capital.
"Sir, we're traveling very fast. We'll be back after the commendation ceremony."
Wan Long personally put the headset on Su Dingping and said, "Commander, take a rest first. I'll call you when we arrive."
"it is good."
Su Dingping nodded and entered the Military Industry Illustrated Forging Space with his eyes closed.
Meanwhile, in the capital of the Longxia tribe, at the naval headquarters military base.
Inside the impressive building, in Conference Room Number One.
Su Dingping still held the rank of colonel, but he was able to sit with Xu Dongguo and other leaders.
At the last military commendation ceremony, Su Dingping was promoted from lieutenant colonel to colonel. He had previously sat in the front row with Xu Dongguo and others in this manner.
How much time has passed, yet his status is about to rise to another level.
In fact, in the eyes of Xu Dongguo and others, even though Su Dingping held the rank of colonel, he was no different from them.
In their view, Su Dingping's current treatment and military rank are entirely due to his personal efforts, and he deserves them! He is also a very special member of the Navy, the pride of the Navy, and a great contributor to the Navy!
"The number of naval personnel receiving awards at this commendation ceremony has increased significantly again."
Even the shrewd Liu Huaming showed a relieved smile. "I've seen the list. The army and air force combined don't have as many as us. Our navy has finally turned the tables."
In the past, the army always led the charge in battles, and the number of people commended was naturally among the highest in the three services.
At the last tri-service commendation conference, the number of naval personnel receiving commendations increased for the first time, mainly because the navy has contributed the most to joint military operations and has finally gained recognition.
In addition, the capture of Dragon Claw Island involved a joint operation by the army, navy, and air force, with the navy being the main force.
Moreover, it was of great historical significance, so naturally a commendation ceremony was held.
This commendation ceremony, however, was different in significance, as it was entirely the navy that played a leading role, with very few army and air force personnel participating.
If a joint commendation ceremony for the three services were held like last time, the army and air force would become mere supporting roles, which would not look good and would also affect morale and be detrimental to unity.
Therefore, it would be better to just hold a naval commendation ceremony, follow the headquarters' regulations, and celebrate behind closed doors, which would be much better and wouldn't damage the confidence of other branches of the armed forces.
The absence of the army and air force left Liu Huaming feeling somewhat resentful and regretful.
"Ah, it's really a pity."
Liu Huaming looked troubled. "Speaking of which, wouldn't it be better to hold a joint commendation ceremony for all three branches of the armed forces, just like last time? Wouldn't it be a waste of money to hold them separately?"
"If we do it together, we can both have some fun, right?"
Hearing this, Xu Dongguo, Qian Wenbing, and Xiao Chongjun all wanted to laugh, but they had to hold it in.
Liu Huaming, the top leader, is really something else. If this gets out, I'm afraid Army Chief Deng Zhenhua and Air Force Chief Ma Zhengbang will be so angry that their faces will turn blacker than coal!
The fact that they didn't gang up on Liu Huaming and give him a good beating already shows how much restraint they've shown.
As for the future, I will definitely avoid Liu Huaming and stop associating with him.
They saw no regret or melancholy on Liu Huaming's face, only a smile that was about to overflow from his eyes.
"Sir, this only proves that the era of our navy has arrived."
A moment later, Xu Dongguo took over the conversation and responded earnestly.
In his view, the future belongs to the navy, and the navy will have more and more new equipment, shifting from coastal defense to ocean escort.
It's only a matter of time before the Dragon Summer Navy clashes with the Eagle Tribe's navy! The Dragon Summer Navy is destined to become the strongest force on Earth; this is an unstoppable trend that no power or individual can halt!
"That's right, the future belongs to our navy!"
Qian Wenbing, Xiao Chongjun, and others expressed the same view, feeling that they had caught up with a good era.
"That's right, our navy is the main force of the future."
Liu Huaming nodded slightly, then smiled and said, "Forget it, let's save face for Lao Deng and Lao Ma. I'll act magnanimous, hahaha."
That's right, he couldn't hold back any longer and finally burst out laughing, a stark contrast to his usual serious demeanor.
In fact, he himself noticed that as the navy achieved more and more victories, he smiled more often, and this confidence naturally came from Su Dingping.
So, Liu Huaming then looked at the young man beside him.
According to military rank, Su Dingping would not be able to sit next to Liu Huaming; his position would even be higher than that of Qian Wenbing and Xiao Chongjun.
"Dingping, do you remember that Dongguo said he would reserve a front-row seat for you next to him?"
Liu Huaming asked bluntly, "After this, you'll really be sitting in the front row, instead of me forcing you to."
"Sir, I remember this."
Before Su Dingping could speak, Xu Dongguo chimed in.
"Let me give you a heads-up: your rank will be changed tonight."
Liu Huaming lowered his voice, "Your seat in meetings will be right next to me from now on, so don't change it."
"Sir, I'm afraid this might have a bad influence?" Su Dingping scratched the back of his head, looking embarrassed. (End of Chapter)