New methods to remove obstacles on modern battlefield explored
( 2003-10-09 14:46) (pladaily.com.cn)
The days when the field engineers to put on "one
man show" in removing obstacles on battlefield is over. In mid-September, in a
lofty mountainous area, a unit of the Jinan Military Area Command carried out an
exercise of removing obstacles by various arms with multi-firearms under
high-tech combat conditions.
The "blue army" which was on the defense set up a blocking area at its
forward edge with blocking walls, iron fence, barbed wire entanglements and
abatis, and various obstructions along the front line. When the commander of the
"red army" gave the order to remove obstacles, the armored force, artillery unit
and engineers used their different weapons to destroy obstacles from different
distances andĦĦdifferent positions. With rumbling of explosions and dense smoke,
dust blew up to the sky. In a few minutes, under the cover of artillery fire and
the armored force, engineer groups moved forward rapidly, and cleared the
remaining obstalces with engineering facilities. Leaders of the troops who
organized the exercise said, as the mechanization level of the troop improved,
types and quantities of the firearms increased also. This exercise had broken
the pattern of field engineers playing "leading role". This was an innovation of
fighting method in response to the new weapons and new demands of modern warfare
on removing obstacles.
The innovation of fighting method stems from the update of fighting
principle. The unit has made thorough argumentation on combat environment of
high-tech war and new weapons possessed by troops in recent years. They have
changed the traditional fighting concept, which emphasized capturing positions
to the neglect of removing obstacles. According to the weapons available, they
boldly integrated the characteristics of obstacle-removal with the missions, and
let various arms join in obstacle-removing operation instead of letting the
field engineer alone to do the job. With this in mind, they organized artillery
units, armored force and field engineers to experiment on various simulated
obstacles. Through collecting relevant data, conducting quantitative and
qualitative analysis, they have successfully explored various methods of
removing obstacles to deal with the most difficult and complex operational
environment in future battlefield.
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