China Armed Forces No.25,Vol.1,2014
The transition from the infantry to the special forces is a long and arduous one, but the 7th company of a brigade of the 1st Army Group of the People’s Liberation Army made the change in relatively quick time, transforming from a motorized infantry company to a special operations company.
One day in October 2013, a Red Team and a Blue Team were struggling for victory in a fierce live-fire drill. The Red Team, a motorized infantry brigade, took the extraordinary step of dispatching the 7th company to carry out a decapitation strike. About 100 special operations troops suddenly descended from helicopters and overran the enemy headquarters. The Blue Team, caught off guard, was defeated and confused. “The enemy is obviously an infantry brigade. Where did the special operations company come from?” they asked
Two weeks after the drill, a video of the 7th company’s performance had been screened repeatedly in special operations training organized by the 1st Army Group. A new training concept was taking root: special operations training for the infantry.
The idea originated in a live-fire drill five years ago, said 7th Company Commander Wang Yong. When the troops were about to break through the enemy line, a temporary barrier prevented them from going further. In the post-drill analysis, all personnel felt the inadequate reconnaissance and lack of special operations capabilities led to their failure.
In September 2011, the brigade decided to transform the 7th company into a special operations force. The brigade selected outstanding personnel and brought them in to remold the 7th company.
Transforming the infantry into special forces was difficult. The 7th company had no basis for learning of the special operations program. Early in training, 30 soldiers fell sick within a month. Several months later, the troops had failed to master special operations expertise and had lost their infantry advantages. The company and brigade headquarters decided to accept a temporary decline in order to focus on improving at live-fire drills. The company continued to improve their training methods, with infantry training as the foundation and the reconnaissance training as supplement. They changed their performance assessments. After tactical training, they practiced reconnaissance and climbing. The company evaluated each soldier’s special operations capabilities and divided them into different groups. They identified different strengths and weaknesses and established special operations training files. They made an individual special operations plan for each soldier, improving efficiency quickly.
As combat training progressed, the capabilities of the company rose. In the fall of 2012, a live-fire combat drill was ordered. With the hilly terrain, the brigade decided to let the 7th company carry out a multi-point landing strike deep in enemy territory. Two groups of eight troops succeeded in air insertion and raising the Red flag over the Blue command position in just 18 minutes. “It is the first unit to achieve a complete successful air insertion in a live-fire drill in the Nanjing Military Area,” said one general.
The success capped painstaking planning. Former platoon collaboration tactics were not useful in the decapitation operation. The company pondered over the special force tactics and integrated them with infantry tactics, forming multiple sets of landing and quick action schemes. The company started with sergeants with fine training records and formed an upgraded training mechanism that included basic training, intensive infantry training and reconnaissance training. Thus they mastered multiple tactical assault approaches including decapitation and sabotage operations.
As the company took part in more drills, its reputation grew. It was a model in large-scale air insertions organized by the army group. They set up a database of the results, including physical assessment scores, air insertion time and tactical actions. The database has become an important benchmark for efficiency in the army group headquarters. Company personnel have submitted more than 30 proposals on special operations training for infantry, which have greatly improved the efficiency of air insertions. In October 2013, in an event organized by the Nanjing Military Area to address key difficulties, the company carried out a descent from one helicopter with two ropes and two people on one rope, completing the landing in just 30 seconds. The whole company was on the ground in one minute, improving the survival rate of landing detachments.
Today, the whole company has mastered basic special operations techniques and improved combat capabilities. Their experience of transforming from an infantry company to a special operations company will be promoted across the People's Liberation Army.
