2-month drill to test PLA's logistics and mobility
The People's Liberation Army yesterday launched a two-month trans-national drill aimed at ensuring security in western regions of Tibet and Xinjiang and coastal areas involved in border disputes with neighbouring countries.
Xinhua said the military drill would involve 50,000 heavily armoured troops from four military zones over thousands of kilometres to test the PLA's long-distance mobility.
The long-range drill - code-named Kuayue (Chinese for 'stride') 2009, would mobilise one army division from each of the military commands of Shenyang, Lanzhou, Jinan and Guangzhou, it said, adding that it was an unprecedented exercise in PLA history.
A division from the Shenyang Military Command in the northeastern province of Liaoning would be transported to Lanzhou in the northwest province of Gansu, while troops from the Jinan Military Command in the eastern province of Shandong and the Guangzhou Military Command in the south would be exchanged.
Ni Lexiong, a Shanghai-based military expert, said the deployment had reflected China's moves to ensure security in the restive regions of Tibet and Xinjiang.
'You can see that the Nanjing Military Command, the military region on the cross-strait front line which played a key role in many military drills in history, isn't taking part this time,' Professor Ni said. 'It's because cross-strait ties have become warmer since Ma Ying-jeou was elected Taiwan's president last year.'
Professor Ni said the Lanzhou Military Command, which overseas security in the Tibet and Xinjiang regions, would become more important after the racial violence in Urumqi last month.
'China needs to pay especially close attention to the 'three forces' of separatism, terrorism and extremism both at home and abroad in the future,' he said.
China has built pipelines in Xinjiang to transport oil and natural gas from the Middle East and other countries, highlighting the autonomous region's strategic role in both the military and economic sectors.
The Beijing Military Command will also be absent from the drills as troops in the capital are busy preparing for the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic.
Professor Ni said Chengdu Military Command, which is closest to India, would also not participate in the drill because China was negotiating with its neighbour over border disputes this week.
China continues to claim territory along its remote border with India. The two sides fought a short but bloody border war in 1962.
Each military command would send about 10,000 land troops to take part in the drills, which was 80 to 97 per cent of the total strength of the units, the PLA Daily said, adding that Western war-game equipment and assessments would be used.
Taipei-based military expert Andrew Yang Nien-dzu said the participation of the Shenyang, Jinan and Guangzhou commands in the drills showed the PLA's determination to upgrade its capabilities in long-range logistics and mass mobilisation.
'The PLA has been launching more multiple military command drills in the past years aimed at enhancing its quick response to disaster relief ... but of course, this time it's the largest-ever tactical military exercise,' Mr Yang said.
'I think this kind of massive drill will become normal in the future as the PLA's fighting capability and training doctrines have improved a lot in the past decade.'
Xinhua said the general staff headquarters, which has prepared for the exercise for three months, would co-ordinate with airlines to use passenger and cargo flights to complement air force transport.
