Xinhua News Agency, Shijiazhuang, December 28th
As professors of Shijiazhuang Army Command College, Cui Yafeng and Yang Baoyou are often invited by the PLA headquarters to be the general directors of various exercises. They are called "black-faced referees" by many officers and men of the army.
"Over the years, the actual combat atmosphere of our military’s exercises has become stronger and stronger, the scientific and technological content has become higher and higher, the evaluation has become stricter and stricter, and the enthusiasm of officers and men for participating in the exercise has never been higher. As a’ referee’, I am getting more and more energetic. " Yang Bao said.
More and more college experts act as "referees"
Cui Yafeng, Yang Baoyou and other experts and professors can be seen in almost all major exercises held by the People’s Liberation Army in recent years, such as the first trans-regional long-range mobile combat exercise, the "Queshan-2006" exercise, the "Beijian-2007" exercise and the "Queshan-2007" exercise.
"Since 2005, the headquarters has taken exercises as an important means to assess the training of troops. We began to participate more and more in military exercises, setting the situation for the troops and commenting on the results. " Cui Yafeng said.
"One of the most obvious advantages of letting college experts serve as’ referees’ is that they can maintain the relative fairness and justice of the ruling." Cui Yafeng believes that college experts have both theoretical foundation and practical experience, which can understand the actual situation of the army more comprehensively and deeply; Moreover, because the relationship between colleges and troops is relatively detached, it can get rid of the interference of human factors in the ruling.
More directors are experts and professors, which has become a trend in PLA exercises.
In the "Queshan-2006" exercise, the General Staff Department invited 50 experts from 10 military academies to "criticize the troops". In 2006 alone, Shijiazhuang Army Command College sent more than 100 experts and professors to participate in various military exercises.
During the exercise, Cui Yafeng and other experts judged the achievements of an army, not just by personal feelings, but by a scientific and rigorous system. The "Army Exercise Evaluation System" developed by Shijiazhuang Army Command College has been applied to almost every important exercise of the PLA since it came out in 2003.
Through tens of thousands of groups of data collected, this system evaluates the capabilities of command and control, fire attack, protection and support of troops quantitatively and qualitatively.
"Data determines success or failure. Whoever wins or loses in the exercise is completely decided by the computer, even if the general director like me wants to help, he can’t help. " Yang Bao said.
Strictly from the difficult to the actual combat, the officers and men said that they "black hands in the dark."
"The exercise is a preview of the war. The enemy in the war can’t give you time to prepare in advance. We must start from actual combat and beat the troops." Yang Bao said.
More modern, more information-based and more practical —— Yang Bao summed up the development trend of PLA training and exercises with three "changes".
每一场演习，导演部都将“复杂电磁环境”作为一个重要课题予以突出。从参演部队的战备等级转换、远程机动，到集结展开、战斗实施，在演习的各个阶段、各个环节都使部队处于“敌”强大的电磁干扰之中。
信息主导、火力主战等现代战争基本理念，在演习中得到充分体现。在所有演习中，崔亚峰、杨宝有等“裁判”总是想方设法让部队体验“现代战争”。
在“确山—２００６”演习中，当一支部队经过１０多个小时的急行军，赶到预定宿营地刚刚生火做饭时。总导演的崔亚峰突然发出一条命令：“营地被‘敌’侦察卫星发现，紧急转移至备选营地。”
疲惫至极的官兵顾不上休息，又经过几个小时的行军，才在天快亮时抵达目的地。
“黑夜出黑手。”许多官兵这样评价导演部，但他们在理解了导演部的用意后又加了一句——“道是无情却有情。”
在不久前举行的新中国成立以来国防和军队建设成就展上，一张反映解放军训练改革的照片引起许多观众的好奇——
身着迷彩服的杨宝有凝视着手中的秒表，从一名少校军官面前走过。这名担任营长的少校在给演习总导演敬礼，而杨宝有却连头也没抬，铁青着脸，径直而过。
"Let me be very angry, the time for chemical decontamination of this unit actually failed!" After more than a year, Yang Baoyou was still deeply dissatisfied with the performance of this unit at that time.
Like Yang Baoyou, Professor Cui Yafeng and others were called "black-faced referees" by officers and men because they insisted on setting up situations and problems for the troops from strict to difficult during the exercise.
In the "Queshan-2006" exercise, Cui Yafeng ordered the troops to build a bridge for tanks to cross on a river 40 to 50 meters wide at night. Some leaders who came to observe the exercise saw the steep geographical conditions at the scene and advised him to withdraw this order.
"The anger can’t be vented." Although there are some worries, Cui Yafeng is convinced that the troops have this ability. A few hours later, when armored vehicles passed through the newly erected bridge in turn, his hanging heart fell to the ground.
"Exposing problems is achievement, and solving problems is the purpose."
After the "Queshan-2006" exercise, Cui Yafeng became the focus of public opinion at home and abroad.
In the commentary, Cui Yafeng, the general director, spoke for less than 2 minutes, but it took 28 minutes to talk about the problem. Although the assessment results of military exercises were excellent, Cui Yafeng listed eight major problems in the army in one breath.
"It’s unprecedented to talk about problems and not achievements, and to report them publicly through the news media." A staff officer of the PLA General Staff Department said, "This exercise is the first of its kind, and this practice has become an example for our military to comment on the exercise."
"If the exercise commentary only talks about achievements and practices, and does not talk about problems and find gaps, it will not play a role in improving military training and improving training level, and it will not play a role in the exercise." Cui Yafeng said.
The change from stressing achievements to problems reflects the establishment of the concept of benefit in PLA exercises.
"In the past, many exercises were only the business of the military department, and the political work department could only’ stand aside’." Yang Baoyou said that the current exercise puts more emphasis on examining the overall capabilities of the troops, and political work, logistics, equipment and other departments are all involved. Through an exercise, we can expose the problems existing in all aspects of army building, thus finding solutions and greatly improving the comprehensive benefits of the exercise.
"Exposing problems is an achievement, and solving problems is the purpose." From the headquarters organs to the grass-roots units, such a consensus has been formed on the treatment of exercises, and the enthusiasm of troops at all levels to grab exercises and compete for exercises is unprecedented.
"The news media’s reports and propaganda are also a reason for the high enthusiasm of officers and men." Cui Yafeng believes that in the past, due to the concept of confidentiality and other reasons, major military activities of the PLA were generally not publicized. In recent years, the news media reported on some major exercises in an unprecedented range and depth, and achieved positive results.
"These propaganda reports also show from one side that our national defense and army building are highly transparent." Cui Yafeng said.
Editor: Cao Jin