PLA "Stride-2014" Military Exercise

antiterror13

Brigadier
I was watching the video was a bit concerned at first when they interviewed soldier and he was stating that dust was a problem (he was not really complaining, but he stated it in a way that he did not encounter this level before). Tanks were breaking down and gearbox is broken. I was really concern until I re-read the first post and got a little comfort knowing that they are from different military region. This still make me wonders how different military region train their troops. Do they focus of training and have troops familiarizing their own military region environment and the immediate neighbor's. (More defensively then offense)

This exercise is really good to give troops a taste of the endurance required and experience working under different environment (such as repairs and combat). I love seeing all type of equipment being thrown to battle

absolutely important, so you know the areas need improving. China should do this kind of exercise in this scale regularly, every 2 years perhaps
 

luhai

Banned Idiot
absolutely important, so you know the areas need improving. China should do this kind of exercise in this scale regularly, every 2 years perhaps

They actually happen every year or every few years, with multiple different exercises with different focus. China-defense blog did a compilation of them back in 2009.

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For example the recent stride exercises being 2009, 2012 and 2014.

Stride 2014 got a lot of attention this year because it seems to veer off from the usual limited, intense, conventional war doctrine, seems to throw those brigades back in a cold war turns hot scenario against a extremely over powering OPFOR. While previous exercises OPFOR is more or even in capability vis-a-vis the REDFOR.


I was watching the video was a bit concerned at first when they interviewed soldier and he was stating that dust was a problem (he was not really complaining, but he stated it in a way that he did not encounter this level before).

Keep in mind in this interview he probably answer the reporter's question on what difficulty he encounter during the exercise. He can't say, well we got nuked, so he just give a harmless answer saying A tank broken down due to dust. Which I don't even know it's true or not, since that seems to be the standard answer for every single exercise. (just check out the 2008 zhurihe exercise video, same thing.) I think 1 or 2 tank out hundreds in a brigade that broke and fixed is probably the expect result when race them 300 km in battlefield conditions. And they use that to viewer the feel of "difficulties" the troop encountered without giving away details about actual exercise.
 
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montyp165

Junior Member
It's always good to remember that sound doctrine and training are much more critical that direct combat experience, after all the US vs Iraq in 1991 is a perfect case of this, with the US not having fought large scale ground battles since Vietnam at the time while the Iraqis were fresh from the Iran-Iraq war. As long as the PLA tests and refines their doctrine (much like the Soviets did in the interwar period for instance), any recent lack of direct combat experience (past 30 years) is less of an issue.
 

TerraN_EmpirE

Tyrant King
Tanks getting clogged with sand is not a unrealistic event for the desert. Happens all the time particularly in fine sand types.

The PLA BlueFor (for the PLA they reversed the colors with RedFor being PLA and BlueFor being Opfor) likely increased its sophistication no doubt. Although I wonder just who they are simulating? Normally you approximate the most likely tactical situation to be encountered. This as written up by Phoenix sounds weird. American ECM and air supremacy combined with Soviet style infantry. A bizarre combination.
 

luhai

Banned Idiot
it's just an artistic license used by the Chinese online posters. The OPFOR is probably simulating worst type of enemy the PLA could face in a major war. Americans fighting a gulf war style large tank / mech inf battle with NBC or perhaps Russians with extremely good electronics warfare, C4I and air supremacy.

It's used to test the PLA's readiness to fight a major confrontation. Probably similar to the PLA 1981 exercise where a Chinese company commander supposedly threw his hat on the ground and scream 'there is no way to fight' shortly after his unit took a "enemy" position only to be informed that most of his men are wiped out when they are carpet bombed shortly after.
 

ahho

Junior Member
They actually happen every year or every few years, with multiple different exercises with different focus. China-defense blog did a compilation of them back in 2009.

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!


For example the recent stride exercises being 2009, 2012 and 2014.

Stride 2014 got a lot of attention this year because it seems to veer off from the usual limited, intense, conventional war doctrine, seems to throw those brigades back in a cold war turns hot scenario against a extremely over powering OPFOR. While previous exercises OPFOR is more or even in capability vis-a-vis the REDFOR.




Keep in mind in this interview he probably answer the reporter's question on what difficulty he encounter during the exercise. He can't say, well we got nuked, so he just give a harmless answer saying A tank broken down due to dust. Which I don't even know it's true or not, since that seems to be the standard answer for every single exercise. (just check out the 2008 zhurihe exercise video, same thing.) I think 1 or 2 tank out hundreds in a brigade that broke and fixed is probably the expect result when race them 300 km in battlefield conditions. And they use that to viewer the feel of "difficulties" the troop encountered without giving away details about actual exercise.


True that. I forgot the part that they were "nuked" and "lost" most of their strength
 

StopSquarkS

New Member
[video=youtube;1_nTBp5ko7g]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_nTBp5ko7g[/video]

3 questions:

1. 0:33 - Morse code? OPFOR is assumed to have jammed the data-links? But then shouldn't good-old radio be even easier to jam?

2. 1:52 - what was that?

3. 2:08 - what's the graph on the projector screen? Loss ratios?
 

no_name

Colonel
1. 0:33 - Morse code? OPFOR is assumed to have jammed the data-links? But then shouldn't good-old radio be even easier to jam?

2. 1:52 - what was that?

1. I think lower frequency is harder to jam, and signals spread over wide bandwidth is harder to jam. And more power is harder to jam.

2. Maybe a recoil less rocket being fired ?
 

luhai

Banned Idiot
There is now a CCTV special about all the military exercise this year, it looks like it's done to test PLA force against possible US implementation of air sea battle. Never seen official Chinese media so straightforward before. I guess this is 'transparency'.

Here is the video with official ( but still poorly done) English subtitles.

[video=youtube;wEv2WNlqunQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEv2WNlqunQ[/video]
 

postmanishere

New Member
This gets me angry like nothing else. Jesus fucking Christ. Chinese SF routinely takes out that stupid international SF competition too. Why don't you rate the PLA SF above DevGru, Delta and the SAS as well?

It's like the Olympics. Does the number of Chinese medals imply that China has one of the fittest, most fitness oriented population in the world? Far from it. That's the kind of useless politicized pissing contest/pony show I was talking about. Now I see why they do it. Just look at you swallowing the propaganda.

PLA SF is more like force recon elements in US army or marine....
SAS/SEAL type SF is a rare breed in PLA...and PLA does not, by a long shot,have spec-op ability anywhere near US military...lacking experience dedicated hardware and funding and all...
besides,considering PLA's primary objective is to gain ability to not lose a air-sea battle within 1st island chain, seal-like SF's priority is not that high, since its combat-effectiveness is doubtful in such setting...

and if i am allowed to be technical, the term SF(特种兵) could actually be applied to a whole range of service branch other than infantry according to official pla military terms.....
 
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