'Peace Mission - 2014' to highlight five features

The directing staff of the Joint Directing Department for the "Peace Mission - 2014" joint anti-terrorism military exercise (hereinafter referred to as the exercise) of the armed forces of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states received interviews at the Zhurihe training base under the Beijing Military Area Command (MAC) of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on the afternoon of August 18, 2014.

The exercise will highlight five features, said Wang Ning, chief director of the Joint Directing Department of the exercise and deputy chief of general staff of the PLA.

Large political influence. The exercise will be conducted in China throughout the process for the first time. A meeting for the chiefs of general staff of the SCO member states and a military music festival will be organized simultaneously for the first time, which is of important and far-reaching political significance on strengthening mutual trust among the SCO member states, maintaining regional security and stability, and pushing forward establishment of a fair and reasonable new international political order.

Presence of high-ranking commanding officers and guests. The chiefs of general staff of the SCO member states will observe and give guidance on the actual-troop exercise, attend the closing ceremony of the exercise, and inspect the participating troops.

In addition, the SCO Secretariat, the regional anti-terrorism organizations, the five observer states, namely Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Mongolia and India, the three dialogue partners, namely Sri Lanka, Belarus and Turkey, as well as the military attaches from more than 60 countries will also observe the actual-troop exercise.

The five participating countries sent their deputy chiefs of general staff or commanders of MACs respectively to form the Joint Directing Department, and China acts as the chief director for the first time to plan and organize the exercise all the way, which fully reflects the high attention that each country pays to the exercise and poses higher requirements for the joint exercise.

Large number of participating troops. The participating troops amount to more than 7,000 personnel including the army force, air force, special operation force, airborne force and electric countermeasure force, and more than 440 pieces/sets of equipment are mobilized. This exercise features the largest number of mobilized troops, equipment, and new-type combat forces in all the previous joint exercises organized by the SCO.

New drill subjects. Centering on the campaign preparation and campaign implementation of the joint anti-terrorism exercise, the exercise will organize multilateral joint decision-making and joint operations in response to the features and requirements for information-led joint operations, accurate operations and asymmetric operations.

High degree of actual combat. The exercise will proceed following a procedure of strategic consultation, campaign planning and actual-troop drills.

During the whole exercise, no battlefield targets will be marked and no color flags or burst points will be set up so that the participating troops can perceive the real battlefield environment and enhance their actual-combat capability.