China is in the midst of a country-wide military exercise named “STRIDE- 2009” which is intended to increase the flexibility and experience of The People’s Liberation Army troops in all forms of civil unrest and military deployment.
Troops have commandeered civilian aircraft, trains, trucks, and automobiles in order to replicate the actual conditions that might occur in an emergency.
50,000 heavily armed troops have spread throughout the country. According to the PLA General Staff Headquarters, in charge of organizing "STRIDE-2009," one army division from each of the military commands of Shenyang, Lanzhou, Jinan and Guangzhou province, will participate in a series of live-ammunition drills lasting for two months.
Unlike previous annual tactical exercises, the army divisions and their air units will be deployed in unfamiliar areas far from their garrison training bases by civilian rail and air transport. The division from northeast Shenyang Military Command will be transported to northwest Lanzhou Military Command. Troops from east Jinan Military Command and south Guangzhou Military Command will be exchanged.
In the unprecedented exercise, one of the PLA's major objectives will be to improve its capacity of long-range projection. The General Staff Headquarters, which have been preparing for the exercise for three months, will coordinate with China's civilian airlines to use passenger and cargo flights to compliment Air Force transport.
All heavy weapon systems, such as tanks and infantry fighting vehicles, will be carried by rail, and lightly armored troops deployed to Jinan Military Command will go by China Railway High-speed (CRH) trains traveling at up to 220 miles per hour.
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