First it is a clear political signal of growing strength sent by China to possible regional rivals, specifically the United States, Japan and Taiwan. Second is the Chinese-sponsored exercise being a much-needed opportunity to practice coordinated operations involving varied branches of the armed forces to professionalize.

Third is giving the Chinese a field demonstration to assess Russian military hardware in action before approving future purchases.

In the first area, regional conflict, a delegation of visiting analysts speaking off the record with United Press International Tuesday expressed concern about the element of uncertainty Russia introduced to potential China conflicts in East Asia that involve the U.S.

Japan is the only country where Russian interests are directly at stake. Both China and Russia have maritime border disputes with the Japanese. The Chinese are fighting a multifaceted war of words with Japan that includes delimitation of East China Sea boundaries primarily tied to mineral and energy exploitation. The former Soviet Union took the Kurile Islands away from Japan in 1945 at the end of World War Two, and the Japanese still wants Russia to return them.

Russian involvement in China's genuine ongoing attempts to cow Taiwan into submission and return to mainland sovereignty without a shot fired is, at best, a wild card element that only gets played in the extreme hypothetical parameters of current scenario projections; multiple permutations have be realized before it becomes a viable factor.

The key feature of the ongoing Sino-Russian exercise is it being the starting point for the Chinese military on the learning curve of the C4ISR (command and control, communication, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance) operational environment.

China's armed forces, including its conventional land troops, naval flotillas, air arm, marine corps, and airborne troops, all moved to the practice sites in late June and began individual unit drills in mid-July according to state-run Chinese media.

A senior officer of the Chinese People's Liberation Army told reporters the eight day long war games, dubbed "Peace Mission 2005," are comprised of three stages.

Major General Zhang Qinsheng, PLA chief of staff at the headquarters for the joint military exercise said the third phase of the military exercise starting Tuesday, involve more than 7,000 Chinese troops and 1,800 Russians will be a coordinated land, sea, and air operation using live ammunition.

The first phase of the war games, held in Russia's far eastern port city of Vladivostok on the Sea of Japan, focused on joint strategic consultation and decision-making processes for combat situations.

The second stage of the drill commenced Saturday at the port of Qingdao in China's Shandong province, where headquarters for Peace Mission 2005 is located. Qingdao is the command center for the PLA Navy's North Sea Fleet as well as being a major manufacturing hub noted for white appliance maker Haier as well as the home of Tsingtao beer.

In this phase, which ended Monday, commanders had been practicing rapid deployment of forces in combat theaters in order to deal with theoretical situations of common strategic concern.

Zhang was quoted in Chinese media as saying, "commanders of the two troops adjusted their decisions and organized coordinated actions in the second phase, which also included transporting and deploying troops."

Chinese and Russian military personnel on Tuesday begin phase three, practicing live fire tactical operational deployment in three separate scenarios: an offshore blockade involving both missile-guided destroyers and jet fighters; an amphibious landing conducted by the air force, marines and paratroopers; and finally a forced evacuation with cover fire provided by Russian strategic bombers and advanced Chinese fighter planes.

This third stage of Peace Mission 2005 is considered an important test for Russian military hardware sales. In separate off-the-record interviews with a military attach� based in Beijing and a U.S. congressional source this week UPI learned China is believed to be paying very close attention to equipment performance evaluations as the precursor to large-scale arms purchases.

China reported Russian weapons in the exercise include Il-76 military transport planes, Il-78 aerial refueling tankers, A-50 early warning radar aircraft, strategic missile carrying Tu-95MS, long-range Tu-22M3 bombers, a frontline Su-24M2 bomber, an air defense interceptor Su-27SM, a large anti-submarine vessel, a destroyer called the Marshal Shaposhnikov, large landing ships, rescue towboats, a logistic support vessel and airborne combat vehicles.

The PLA has not identified Chinese weapon systems taking part in the exercise except to say hardware is "advanced."

Russian troops arrived on the Shandong peninsula and nearby waters on Aug. 9, including elements of the 76th Airborne Division, the 55th Marine Corps Division plus the Russian air force and Pacific Fleet.

According to Chinese media sources, Sino-Russian forces held their first joint practice on the three scenarios between August 14 and 16. Operations officially commenced Aug 18.

Related Links
SpaceDaily
Search SpaceDaily
Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express

Memory Foam Mattress Review

SPACE MEDIA NETWORK PROMOTIONS Solar Energy Solutions Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison ... Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News