According to the Chinanews' report on Monday, Gu Wengen, South
China Sea Fleet commander of the Navy of the People's Liberation
Army (PLA), said the joint search-and-rescue exercise by the navies
of China and United States on November 18-19 in the South China Sea
further demonstrates the good search-and-rescue commanding skills
and strong cooperative spirits on the sea.?
He said the exercise made substantial achievements and improved
the cooperative ability between the two armed forces in maritime
search-and-rescue operations.
Gu also said this exercise is the largest, longest and most
substantial one held with any foreign naval force. It also
represents the most comprehensive communication between the South
China Sea fleet and the US Pacific Fleet.
The exercise involved China's guided missile destroyer
Zhanjiang, the fuel tanker Dongting Lake, and the USS Juneau (LPD
10) and the USS missile destroyer Fitzgerald for the USA. China's
Yun-7 transport plane and the US P-3C patrol plane also
participated in the exercise.
The exercise set broad targets like communication drills,
assembly on the sea, squadron flight and joint search-and-rescue.
During the exercise the two forces carried out the first nighttime
communication drill, and the first drill of entering the cabin to
putting out fires and searching for trapped personnel.
In terms of organization, both parties found and identified
targets through practical searches and set the scenario according
to random situations, testing their ability to act and dispose of
threats according to circumstances.
Both parties exchanged commands during the exercises to enhance
mutual understanding on commanding styles, methods and
execution.
This was the first time the Chinese navy employed regulations on
unexpected encounter on sea and maneuver tactics which were adopted
by NATO and non-NATO countries without an advance agreement to
communicate with and identify American ships during the
exercise.
The Chinese navy has gained precious experience on unexpected
encounters and joint action with a foreign navy. It also sets a
basis for later maritime joint action between the two parties.
According to Gu, this exercise highlights the exchanges on
related issues. When both parties dispatched observers to the other
side, they specified that observers could freely size up the
situation at the respective command posts. Meanwhile, both parties
organized view demonstration between rescue teams. After the
exercises, the observers from two sides exchanged in-depth
views.
The event is the second phase of the first-ever joint
Sino-American search-and-rescue exercise, as agreed on by Chinese
and US military leaders. The first phase took place in September
off Hawaii and consisted of communications and passing
exercises.
(China.org.cn by Li Shen and Zhou Jing, November 21, 2006)
