The “Stride 2014 • Zhurihe” combat exercise in actual combat conditions, organized by the General Staff Department (GSD) of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), was held at the Zhurihe Training Base under the Beijing Military Area Command (MAC) from May 20 to July 28. An army brigade combined from the seven MACs of Beijing, Nanjing, Guangzhou, Jinan, Shenyang, Chengdu and Lanzhou was pitted against the PLA’s professional "blue army", a mechanized infantry brigade of the Beijing MAC. It introduced new combat elements involving an air force unit, an army aviation unit, unmanned aerial vehicles, special operations and electronic countermeasures. Zheng He, of the department of military training of the GSD of the PLA, said the exercise was a model for improving training levels in actual combat conditions.
Here we focus on some of the main aspects of the exercise.
Unplanned combat
An armored brigade from the Nanjing MAC, part of the “red army”, had just finished unloading from railway cars. With the “blue army” conducting satellite and UAV surveillance, the brigade had to disperse immediately. In the following 26 hours, the exercise directors randomly created more than 10 emergency situations for them, including digitalized combat, aerial and remote strikes, and special forces harassing attacks. The red army had to fight its way to the assembly area. Before arriving there, they had lost the equivalent of a company. Information collectors using special equipment recorded every detail of the battle. The data was directed into the computer systems and generated into corresponding scores in real time to evaluate the combat effectiveness of the two sides.
Past military exercises were generally divided into four stages: mobilization across regions, setting up base, training drills and live fire. This exercise broke the pattern completely. The directors also unveiled new prohibitions: no changes of troops and equipment; no repeat use of damaged forces; no advance scouting or reconnaissance; no pre-planning or rehearsal.
The drills simulated actual modern warfare. The professional blue army took advantage of its home terrain and cooperated with the directors to set up difficult and dangerous situations to test how the red army would react in real combat. The exercise introduced the integration of training models and modern warfare. Both sides had to maintain morale and find the courage, determination, tactics and strategies to win each battle.
A learning exercise
How did the red and blue armies perform? Participants awaited the verdict of the chief director at the final assessment conference.
His 20-minute review of the battle contained hundreds of statistics: the damage rate of main equipment of the red army was 45 percent, while that of the blue army was 24.1 percent. Although the red army broke through the defenses of blue army, it failed to control targeted areas. The balance of power between the two sides was 6.3:1, and the blue army had “a clear advantage.”
The red army had won one battle, but lost six. When all the troops gathered for the summary and analysis, the weaknesses and shortcomings were replayed on a big screen. Every detail of the problems in timing, personnel and equipment were clearly presented. On the basis of the review, the department of directors sent experts to the squads and platoons to discuss and help resolve the problems. Commanders at all levels discussed their mistakes. The exercise focused more on what they could learn, not the results, stimulating the troops’ initiative to improve.
Digital judges
Past reviews of military exercise were based on the experience and judgments of the directors. This time, “digital judges” appeared to change the whole situation. They could evaluate almost all the military actions of both sides in a precise and accurate way.
Accurate evaluation helps commanders to better understand their strengths, and raises awareness of effectiveness in every military action, such as planning, command, control, coordination, strike and support.
The Zhurihe Training Base provided a fully functioning, joint-operation testing ground and experimental center. Simulation of actual combat conditions and a real battle environment have been perfected at the base. Various evaluation systems in areas such as test battles, satellite positioning, laser warfare and CDMA targeting is used to present a comprehensive accurate evaluation of performance. The assessment process is divided into four stages and 65 elements in 1,062 evaluation points to test six military skills: assessing the battleground, command and control, maneuvering and attacking, striking, defending, and integrated logistics support. It is aimed at providing accurate quantitative evaluation of overall combat capabilities. The directors use the statistics to organize activities that reflect and summarize the results of the exercise.
