This type of 'software' training has been overlooked by many military experts, they seems to assume everything imported and new tactics will work 100% of the time without training. Those are not your-good-ole-politic-trainings, but real PME as they are training commanders, not political commissars. This is one more evident to support the argument that PLA is being transformed into a more professional military.

We shall see.





Guangzhou MAC accelerates cultivation of joint operational commanders

english.chinamil.com.cn 2008-06-30

　　In mid-June, a batch of excellent commanders from the Guangzhou Military Area Command (MAC) graduated from a cross-training course run by the Air Force Command College were assigned to new posts. In recent years, the Guangzhou Military Area Command has accelerated the training of joint operational commanders and a batch of high-quality commanders of a new type have swiftly come into prominence.

　　In the past three years, the Guangzhou Military Area Command arranged 22 leaders of division-level or above working in the organs and field troops commanders at regiment level or above to swap their positions, and 74 division-and-regiment-level officers to function in acting capacity at each other's posts, and 1,900-odd military and political officers in grassroots units to exchange their posts. At present, members of corps/division leading groups and brigade/regiment commanding officers in Guangzhou Military Area Command, nearly 50% of them have the experiences of holding positions or acting positions in corps headquarters or above, among the department and division leaders in the military area command and group armies, those with experiences of assuming positions in field regiment or above take up a considerable proportion. At the same time, a batch of officers with technological background have taken up commanding posts, indicating that commanders, which have both commanding skill and technological expertise, have come to the fore.

　　It is learned that the Guangzhou Military Area Command held 100-odd joint military training in the form of cross-specialty drills, army-navy coordination drills and land-air confrontation drills, and actively carried out integrated training of intelligence reconnaissance, command and control and fire strike, and joint training in combat grouping, so as to provide a new platform for commanders to build up their capabilities of working out overall combat plans, estimating combat situations and handling situation in emergencies.

　　In recent years, 85.4% of troops commanders from the Guangzhou Military Area Command, who participated in the commander's training course, the training course for commanders at division/regiment level, and the course for postgraduates in the National Defense University, have been promoted to higher positions. In addition, the command has placed excellent young officers with higher academic degrees, good joint operation and command capability, and strong pioneering spirit onto important posts to temper them. Meanwhile, excellent officers chosen as grooming targets will be boldly employed at various posts so as to ensure uninterrupted cultivation of officers.

　　By Li Jianhua and Li Huamin

　　(June 30, PLA Daily) Editor: Chen Jie