13:54 GMT, November 12, 2009 Liao Xilong, member of the Central Military Commission (CMC) and director of the General Logistics Department (GLD) of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), watched the skill demonstrations of different logistic specialties in the “Advance 2009” Integrated Logistic Exercise at stratagem and campaign levels on the morning of November 10, 2009. The exercise was organized by the GLD of the PLA on a training ground in China’s Hebei Province.

The exercise, kicked off on November 9 and composed of such contents as theoretical discussion, demonstration of training methods, actual-troop drill via network and skill demonstrations of logistic specialties, was the first integrated actual-troop exercise of logistic support for large-scale joint operation.

By means of transmitting data via network and simulating real war conditions, the Shenyang Military Area Command (MAC), the Beijing MAC and the PLA Third Military Medical University in three different areas were organized to carry out coordinated drills, including the comprehensive drill integrating various logistic support factors at campaign and tactic levels, the loading and unloading drill of emergent military railway transportation and the medical rescue drill on moving train.

The skill demonstrations of the logistic specialties involved 11 subjects, namely, the professional skill of the vehicle-transportation force, medical rescue for anti-chemical emergencies, cooking skill, rush-repair and mine-disposal skill at airport, skill of repelling birds hovering around airport, precise operation of engineering machinery, skill of setting up field-camping equipment, commanding skill of logistic staff officers, field medical rescue, skill of field POL pipe-laying and rush-repair skill of POL equipment.

According to Li Changshun, chief of staff of the headquarters of the GLD of the PLA, the exercise, centered on integrated use of the various logistic support forces in joint operation, aimed to hone the decision-making capability of logistic commanders in the face of complicated conditions and the troops’ wittiness in dealing with emergencies, so as to lay a sound foundation for organizing efficient logistic support for large-scale joint operations.


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Zhao Jianwei, Fan Juwei