Jun.23 (Military Report released by “China Military Power Mashup” and written by Hu Yushan)-- Smoke drifts over a military airfield where explosions have blasted craters in the runways.

Reports arrive one after another at the command office: The air assault fleet of the red army has encountered enemy air defenses. Four helicopters have been destroyed and two pilots have bailed out.

The supply ship at the B naval port has been attacked by missiles and awaiting rescue.

The command officer delivers his orders: Repair the airport and rescue the injured with the utmost dispatch.

Repair vehicles, armored ambulances and helicopters with the flexible support contingent rush to the sites, on land, at sea and in the air.

It is a typical scene in a modern war.

However, this is a scenario at the war simulation center of the Logistics Command Academy (LCA) of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in Beijing.

The LCA is the only intermediate training school for logistics officers in the PLA, established to train logistics commanders in modern warfare.

The cadets at this drill come from logistics departments of various arms and services. Some already hold the rank of major or lieutenant colonel. For these cadets, the situations in the virtual simulation are issues of real significance.

A Post and a Reform

Three years ago, an entry posted on the online forum of the LCA, titled "Old Wine in New Bottles," drew the attention of the teachers and cadets.

The post read: "As a cadet of the LCA, I have been here for training three times. I found that, although the names of the text books varied in the three sessions, the substance was almost the same. Moreover, there are gaps between the book knowledge in the materials and the real situations of the military operations."

Jun.22 (China Military Story released by China Military Power Mashup and written by Wei Tongbing) -- "Food and fodder should go ahead of troops and horses," says The Art of War, a Chinese military canonical book from more than 2,000 years ago. The Chinese have long been aware of the importance of transport in military operations. Without transport, armies cannot mobilize, making it impossible to carry out military operations. With China's rapid growth, the country's rail network has seen six accelerations in its development, enhancing military rail transport in operational mechanisms, hardware and overall support ability.

Exercising on Full Range Transport Support

In the command room of the transport department of the PLA's General Logistics Department, everyone was intensely absorbed in their work. According to the drill plan, an army would cross three military area commands and four railway networks. The transport operation was one of the most demanding in terms of distance, loads, standards and links.

On receiving their orders before the exercise, the military representatives at the railway bureaus notified the missions and timelines to the bureau's leaders and local government authorities for coordination. The bureaus set up a military transport management team and joint headquarters with local governments, which also formed military support management teams.

The coordinated command of the joint headquarters facilitated the cooperation of army and local governments. A transport and support scheme for the troops was immediately formed, including the loading and unloading of supplies, vehicle maintenance, locomotive maintenance, fixtures and reinforcements, train relay arrangements, water supplies, arrangements for cadres, food supplies and secrecy.