Joint air training has been enhanced by the People’s Liberation Army command that oversees the Taiwan Strait, allowing different branches of the military to use dozens of airports and share information across hundreds of training sites.
The Eastern Theatre Command, which oversees operations around Taiwan and the East China Sea, has instigated the new practice to help boost the PLA’s joint operations capability, which it believes is key to winning any possible war in the area.
On Tuesday, an article published by military mouthpiece PLA Daily detailed what has become a regular practice for the Eastern Theatre Command, with the army, navy and air force all training together, and sharing infrastructure and resources.
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Multiple types of aircraft from the army, navy and air force are now coordinated for joint operations, taking off and landing together, with mutual support to conduct integrated training, the article said.
Nearly 70 per cent of personnel at one airbase have also been trained in multi-aircraft support capabilities, including one example of a technician who can carry out maintenance on 16 different types of aircraft across various branches of the military.
The move is in line with China’s efforts over recent years to restructure its military forces across regions and domains, as well as to overcome shortcomings in joint command, combat support and barriers in resource sharing.
Currently, the PLA’s five theatre commands – North, South, East, West and Central – are responsible for the territorial defence of their respective regions, though they would coordinate with each other during wartime. They each oversee services such as ground and air, plus some operate naval fleets. They may also exercise a degree of operational control over the conventional missiles of the Rocket Force.
Joint training across different services has become increasingly regular, particularly for the Eastern Theatre Command as tensions continue to rise in the Taiwan Strait. According to the article, army aircraft, which are mostly made up of helicopters, have been allowed to land and take off from naval vessels for resupply.
This “mechanism for joint sharing of combat training resources” also includes developing new combat tactics together, building new airbases that can be shared by other services, and joint command.
For example, the article said that during a training exercise across multiple military branches of the command, pilots from the army, navy and air force gathered at the same control tower to form a joint command group to conduct maritime penetration operations tasks.
Last October, Zhang Youxia, vice-chairman of the powerful Central Military Commission, urged efforts to accelerate the construction of a new military training system and boost the innovative development of combined military operations.
He also called for efforts to enhance the Chinese military’s capabilities to conduct joint operations on the basis of the network information system.
The PLA believes that information networks lie at the heart of its joint operations, integrating and organising operations to achieve information superiority.
To that end, the Information Support Force was established last April, responsible for the development and coordination of information networks for all branches of the military.
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