A senior official of Pakistan Air Force (PAF) has the distinction to observe People's Liberation Army (PLA) military exercise. Group Captain Zahid Hamid Kiani had been to China for quite a few times. However, it was his first time to watch a PLA exercise, code-named "Vanguard-2008," that concluded early this week.
Around 179 foreigners from 67 countries were mostly students at Beijing-based University of National Defence and Nanjing Army Command College in eastern Jiangsu province. The weeklong exercise was performed by a 2,200-strong armoured brigade from the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Jinan Military Area Command, whose armaments are said to be among the best in the PLA land forces.
"The exercise was a comprehensive project. It was perfectly managed, perfectly designed and perfectly implemented, Zahid Kiani said in an interview. More than 4,000 foreigners have been imparted training in the University of National Defence and it has become a window for foreign exchanges for the PLA," said Deputy Director of Education Management Ji Mingkui.
Armed with equipment, including armoured cars, armed helicopters and transport helicopters, the brigade fought fictitious "Blue Army" targets on a mountainous island with live ammunition. "We read books, we study at classroom, but it is not comparable with what I have seen," Zahid Kiani said. It was the largest group of foreign military students to observe a military exercise.