The PLA at Home and Abroad - Strategic Studies Institute - U.S. Army

port.” 27 The live-fire portion of the exercise appeared
to be mainly a series of small unit demonstrations on
a training range against a notional enemy. 28 “Coordination-2006”
was probably about as rudimentary as a
combined exercise can be.
The year 2006 concluded with the second Sino-Pakistani
combined exercise, “Friendship-2006.” This time
the exercise was conducted in Abbottabad, Pakistan,
from December 11-18. The Chengdu MR “Cheetah”
SOF Group sent 100 personnel to the event. 29 Other
than its focus (an “anti-terror operation in mountainous
terrain”), the use of helicopters, and the fact it
ended with “a colorful closing ceremony with an impressive
display of hang, para, and motorized gliding
mark[ing] the end of the 8-day long joint exercises,”
details of the exercise scenario were not published.
Chinese television carried reports on the exercise. 30
“Strike-2007,” the first combined exercise with a
non-contiguous neighbor, was held at the Military
Sports Comprehensive Training Base, Guangzhou
MR, from July 15-31, 2007, with Thailand. In an English-language
report on the exercise, Guangzhou MR
commander Zhang Qinsheng used the word “combined”
to describe the event (or the translator used the
word “combined,” which was attributed to Zhang).
The report made the following distinction between
“combined” and “joint” exercises: “Compared with
joint military exercises, the combined training means
cooperation in a deeper sense,” he said. As a combined
training generally lasts longer than a joint military exercise,
it offers trainees more opportunities to have a
closer observation of other military forces, regarding
arms equipment, campaign-related thinking, and personnel
quality, Zhang said. 31
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