The Chinese army has achieved a "significant step" of taking the integrated combat readiness drills to the frontlines as part of efforts to improve the training programme to familiarise the troops with modern warfare scenarios—a move that holds significance to the 3488-km-long Line of Actual Control (LAC) with India. The development comes even as the two countries recently resolved their military standoff in eastern Ladakh.
PLA Daily, citing Central Military Commission (CMC) - the overall military command, reported that the new model for integrated training group exercises has reached the frontlines. The new model includes drills on different units working as a team and coordinated use of specific tactics in battle.
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) has achieved major progress in modernising its training programme as it seeks to boost combat readiness in modern warfare scenarios. The next step was to make the training more realistic and closely aligned with real combat situations, leading to an overall improvement in military readiness and capability, according to CMC.
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China has been pushing to modernise its military, from weapons to war tactics, as it tries to narrow the gap with the US and better prepare itself to tackle an increasingly hostile geopolitical scenario.
The efforts have gained added urgency amid the war in Ukraine, progress in advanced and unmanned weapons, and the military use of cutting-edge technology, including artificial intelligence, prompting Beijing to focus on integrated operations by different branches of its armed forces, according to a report in South China Morning Post.
Since he came to power, Chinese President Xi Jinping has carried out massive reforms integrating different military wings. He has also emphasised real-time combat drills to improve their operational abilities to win local wars.
Commenting on the modernisation of the training of the PLA, Chinese military analyst Fu Qianshao said, “The nature of warfare has already changed significantly and all military forces worldwide need to learn from the new tactics and combat models displayed in local conflicts, using the lessons of war to improve their equipment and training methods.”
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“The future wars will undoubtedly include integrated operations, especially with the growing role of information technology, so it's crucial that all PLA branches become interconnected, with unified command and coordinated action,” Fu has been quoted as saying.
The next step for the PLA would be to strengthen its capabilities and increase coordination among its army, navy, air and rocket forces, as well as sharpen its network communication system, he said.
Military commentator and former PLA instructor Song Zhongping underscored the importance of integration saying real war requires joint training as its foundation and core. He said the PLA training now has evolved towards joint exercises, which were key to testing and improving real combat capabilities.
The PLA's joint operation capabilities have been on display during numerous exercises around Taiwan carried out by the Chinese military in recent months, virtually encircling the self-governing estranged island. China claims Taiwan as part of its mainland.
