A strong wind creates ripples in the tents, in varied shades of
army green, lining the camp in neat rows. The national flags of
China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan
flutter over the campground. Signs giving directions and pointing
facilities make one feel at home, for they are in Chinese - and of
course Russian.
Welcome to Chebarkul. This is a town about 80 km west of
Chelyabinsk in Russia's Volga-Urals Military District. And it's
ready to receive Chinese troops for a joint anti-terror military
exercise from August 9 to 17.
A grand rostrum occupies the pride of place - it has been built
for leaders of the six Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)
member countries to watch the war games in the final stages, on
August 17. Two smaller ones flank it on two sides; they are for the
international media. A simulated village has come up 3 km away. It
has 50 buildings, including housing units, kindergartens and
amusement parks. Some facilities are still under construction,
though.
Most of the troops taking part in the exercise will camp nearby.
And there is a reason for that.
"We have done everything possible to provide a good living
environment for the Chinese soldiers and military officers here.
Besides decorating the houses, we have also set up two special
canteens for them at the military camp. We will try our best to
provide the best logistics support to the Chinese troops," says
Russian Colonel Peregudov Alexander Vasilev, responsible for
logistics support for Chinese troops.
In fact, about 200 Chinese officers and soldiers of the advanced
units, including the command and logistics corps, have already
spent two nights at the camp. Also, Chinese military helicopters
for the joint drill have been deployed, according to Xinhua.
"Our chefs will prepare the best for their palate once the main
units reach here," Xinhua has quoted logistics corps officer Xing
Jiashun as saying. The raw materials will come from the Russian
army.
Altogether 1,600 Chinese troops will take part in the joint
exercise to be held in two places - Urumqi, capital of the
Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and the Russian
Army's 34th Motorized Rifle Division range in Chebarkul.
This will be the largest-ever anti-terror drill of the six SCO
member countries and will involve more than 6,500 troops. Part of
the Chinese troops, mostly commanding officers, will be stationed
at a military camp of the Russian Army's 34th Motorized Rifle
Division. A joint command center has been set up there for the
drill, and commanders of the six SCO countries will work jointly to
draw up action plans and command the troops. Unified frequencies
will be set up to help communication, and common signals will be
formulated for coordinated action for the joint exercise.
The war game has been designed thus: 250 terrorists will take
over the simulated village, where 200 people live. The six SCO
member countries will launch a joint operation to rescue them. The
initial phase will be conducted in Urumqi and will involve the
heads of SCO members' general staffs. After getting the news of the
terrorist attack on the small town in the Urals 2,000 km away, the
participants will brief their national leaders on the situation,
draw up plans to combat the terrorists and then launch "operation
rescue".
Airborne units, paratroopers and special troops will be part of
the rescue mission, which will perhaps be the most impressive part
of the exercise, says Colonel Igor Konoshenkov, a Russian press
official who showed Chinese journalists around the drill site.
"We began building the facilities in early May and most of them
have been completed," says Konoshenkov. "Russia's total input in
the joint military drill will exceed 2 billion roubles (US$78
million)."
The Russians have set up a large tent, complete with Internet
connection, to serve as a press center from where the international
media can report the event. About 17 km from the drill site is a
field military camp, built for the soldiers and military officers
of the six countries. Each of these tents can house 16
soldiers.
Konoshenkov says everything that a person, rather a soldier or
officer, needs is here: canteens, kitchens, (temporary) hospitals,
washrooms and bathrooms - fueled by solar power - phone connections
between tents, public phone booths and even soft drink vending
machines.
"Soldiers and officers living here, and even those in the field
camps, will be served hot soup and meals every day," says Vasilev.
"The temporary hospitals here will be run like field hospitals and
can provide timely and necessary first-aid services."
All of the Chinese troops and equipment needed for the drill are
expected to reach the site in several contingents today. The
Chinese troops will join their counterparts from the other five
countries for their first joint training session on August 6.
While Russian and Chinese troops will comprise the bulk of the
manpower for the drill, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan will contribute
an airborne contingent each, and Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan will
send an airborne platoon and staff officers. The Russian Air Force
will contribute six Ilyushin Il-76 Candid transport planes, nine
Sukhoi Su-25 Frogfoot ground-attack jets, 14 Mil Mi-24 Hind
helicopter gunships and 18 Mi-8 Hip helicopters. China will provide
six Il-76 aircraft, eight JH-7-A fighter-bombers, 16 JG-9-W and 16
Mi-17 Hip helicopters. Besides, they will employ 18 122-mm and
100-mm artillery systems each.
The Chinese military began taking part in multilateral exercises
in 2002 to broaden its security cooperation with other countries.
Since then, the Chinese armed forces have taken part in 17 such
drills with Pakistan, India, France, Britain, Australia, Thailand,
and the US - and the other five SCO member countries. Such drills
have not only highlighted the image of the Chinese armed forces,
but also helped them gather valuable experiences in anti-terror
operations, says Zhang Fan, a colonel responsible for air
transportation of the Chinese troops.
The importance of such a joint drill is that it is close to a
real battle - from transportation of equipment to strategic
consultations and the "actual battles", Zhang says.
The Chinese Defence Ministry has stressed the SCO drill is not
targeted at any country. "The drill aims mainly to showcase the
improved security coordination among SCO member countries, their
reinforced anti-terror capability, improved Sino-Russian ties and
the modernizing of the SCO members' armed forces," says military
expert Peng Guangqian.
It's meant to test the depth of SCO member countries'
preparedness and capability to deal with a real crisis. It's a test
of their strengths to protect themselves.
(China Daily August 3, 2007)
