Chinese military's new model for integrated training group drills reaches front lines: Report

Beijing: The Chinese army has achieved a "significant step" of taking the integrated combat readiness drills to the front lines as part of efforts to improve the training programme to familiarise the troops with modern warfare scenarios, the military-run PLA Daily reported.

The ‘new model for integrated training group exercises’ has reached the front lines, the PLA Daily citing Central Military Commission (CMC) - the overall military command, reported on Monday.

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, according to the Chinese military's newspaper.

The new model for integrated training has been rolled out on the PLA front lines, including drills on different units working as a team and coordinated use of specific tactics in battle, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported, citing the report.

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, the report said, citing CMC, which is chaired by President Xi Jinping.

China has been pushing to modernise its military, from weapons to war tactics, as it tries to narrow the gap with the United States and better prepare itself to tackle an increasingly hostile geopolitical scenario.

The quest has 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, the Post said.

Taking the integrated military training to the frontlines also holds significance to the 3488-km-long Line of Actual Control (LAC) with India.

The two countries recently resolved their military standoff in eastern Ladakh. The standoff resulted in the freezing of their ties for over four years.

Since he came to power, Xi, who heads all three power centres - the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC), the Presidency and the CMC - 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.

In a report last week, the PLA Daily called for setting up a mechanism for close coordination among multiple military branches, the Post reported.

"No conflict will be able to be launched without requiring joint operations, and no victory will be gained without coordination. No single military branch can battle alone,” according to the Daily’s report.

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”.

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 was quoted as saying by the Post.

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 also underlined the collaborative aspect, saying: “Real war requires joint training as its foundation and core; it’s not enough for a single branch or unit to carry out any combat mission alone.” He said the PLA training now has evolved towards joint exercises, which were key to testing and improving real combat capabilities.

It was putting into practice the lessons learned from the US military and the Russia-Ukraine war, Song said.

Monday’s edition of PLA Daily also reported an exercise conducted by an unspecified brigade of the Southern Theatre Command, which oversees military strategy in the contested South China Sea.

The drill involved PLA air and ground forces working together in a combat-oriented scenario, the report said.

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.