The artillery unit of the Nanjing Military District conducted large-scale exercises near the Yellow Sea using long-range rocket launchers … The command post and part of the equipment of one of the armored brigades of the Jinan Military District were transferred to the coastal city of the Jiaodong Peninsula, which immediately began to conduct a mock battle. The exercise became an important exercise in the transfer of troops by air … In the waters of the East China Sea, another military exercise took place, in which dozens of ships of the PLA's Southern Fleet were involved. The exercises made it possible to test the combat effectiveness of the groupings of the naval forces when operating in difficult conditions of electromagnetic radiation …
These short reports, broadcast on Thursday by the PRC news agencies, indicate that the soldiers of this country celebrate their holiday - the Day of the formation of the People's Liberation Army of China (PLA), which is celebrated on August 1, with combat days. This is what the army newspaper Jiefangjunbao, which published an editorial on the eve of the holiday, says that China strives for peaceful development, but cannot be an idealist: "We must continue to strengthen our forces." The history of human society, the newspaper notes, knows examples of the sudden defeat or death of this or that country, and this is closely related to the weakness or even loss of its military-strategic potential. Therefore, the article concludes, the path to national power and prosperity of the nation is always in the constant strengthening of the military-strategic potential and the application of science in this area.
The country's armed forces should, further emphasizes "Jiefangjunbao", which is the publication of the Central Military Council of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the Ministry of Defense of the PRC, pay special attention to the transition from the traditional system of "respecting the ground forces and paying less attention to the fleet" to the coordinated development of land, sea, air and space forces, to increase readiness to achieve domination at sea, in the air and outer space, as well as in the electromagnetic, Internet and information spheres. It is necessary to accelerate the transition from mechanization to informatization and comprehensively improve the capabilities of early warning and reconnaissance systems, the transfer of troops over medium and long distances, information resistance, joint operations and integrated support.
The article also puts forward a number of key points regarding the improvement of the PLA's combat capability. In particular, it is indicated that the troops should "prepare to achieve victory in local wars with the use of modern technology and high-tech weapons", "increase the strategic literacy of command personnel, especially the highest echelon", "be able to respond unconventional threats”.
China, the publication also notes, is actively looking for new points of growth in its military-strategic potential, which will differ significantly from the "military presence", "military deterrence" of the Western powers, as well as the methods of achieving their strategic goals. The PRC will pursue a policy of active defense strategy and strengthen its military-strategic potential, which is the embodiment of the essence of a socialist state.
These, in fact, the strategic directives of the Chinese leadership for the further development of the PLA, outlined by the newspaper, were reinforced at a meeting of the General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, Chairman of the People's Republic of China and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, Hu Jintao, with participants in a meeting on party building in the army, which took place on July 24 in Beijing. Speaking at it, Hu Jintao, in particular, emphasized that the army party organizations of different levels should deploy multidirectional activities in order to have a powerful stimulating effect on the comprehensive military development and effective implementation of the historical mission by the armed forces in the new century.
The fulfillment of these strategic directives is guaranteed not only by strict control over the decisions taken, but also by the allocation of the necessary funds for the development of the armed forces. China's defense budget for 2010 is 532.1 billion yuan (about $ 78 billion), up 7.5 percent from last year's national military spending. At the same time, this is somewhat lower than it was before, when, for almost two decades, the PRC's expenditures on the needs of the army increased annually by at least 10 percent. The explanation for this should probably be sought in the aftermath of the economic crisis.
However, it is quite obvious that this will not negatively affect military development. Li Zhaoxing, a spokesman for the National People's Congress, said that in 2010 China will increase spending on national defense mainly to support military reform, improve the army's ability to respond to various security threats and carry out a variety of military missions. "The life of all the people of China is improving, so the life of our native army must also be improved," the People's Daily quotes him as saying.
All this makes it possible to equip the People's Liberation Army with high-tech military equipment and to introduce troop command and control methods based on modern information technologies into military construction. For example, China has now embarked on a course towards creating a powerful and modern fleet capable of performing a wide range of missions in the oceans and competing with the navies of other powers. The main role will be played by aircraft carriers, the first of which is expected to be launched in 2015. And the Air Force. China's pace in the development of modern fighters cannot fail to attract attention. They are not inferior even to many Western countries. Within a decade of the fourth generation of fighters entering service, China is poised to conduct a fifth generation test flight.
At the same time, analysts note that China is still experiencing some problems in solving the problems of promising military development. So, in the same air force there is not a sufficient number of aircraft for refueling in the air and military transport aircraft, which limits the PLA's ability to conduct transnational military operations. There is also a lack of real combat practice and experience. But the Chinese army is actively learning and, like a sponge, absorbs the experience of the armed forces of other countries.
For example, the PLA watched the Vostok-2010 maneuvers very closely. This is evidenced by the publication "What are the instructives of the Russian military exercises for China?", Posted the other day in the "People's Daily". It indicates that these exercises, in the opinion of Beijing military observers, suggest some thoughts in terms of building China's national defense and combat training of the armed forces of the PRC.
First, observers believe, one must "be able to act when needed."Expanding this thesis, they point out that the exercises and especially the effective fulfillment of tasks for the transfer of troops over long distances and other elements fully demonstrated the results of the training and the professional spirit of the Russian army, which is in a state of constant combat readiness.
"Second, reach out quickly when you need to reach out." By this provision, observers understand that the protection of regional stability and national fundamental interests in the 21st century cannot rely on single actions of one country and that only with the participation of various forces can a balance be achieved. This is especially typical for the Asian region, where large countries are concentrated, interests are intertwined, complex ties of profit and damage are formed, where points of conflict are concentrated. Therefore, they believe, it is even more necessary to correctly use and resort to the assistance of various forces in the implementation of the security strategy and upholding China's basic interests.
And, “thirdly, it is necessary to have both hands:“hard”and“soft”. Observers note that in a complex and volatile international environment, "China really needs to seriously do its homework in order to achieve a combination of firmness and flexibility, coordination of forces, maximum efficiency in military, diplomatic and political activities."
