A Unit of the 81st Group Army Incorporates Squad Leaders into the Command Training System

A Unit of the 81st Group Army Incorporates Squad Leaders into the Command Training System——

"The Soldier's Head and the Officer's Tail" Takes the Command Seat

■ Shu Kai, Zhang Jiaxun

Not long ago, a tactical training exercise under a realistic combat backdrop got underway at a unit of the 81st Group Army.

"Begin the operation!" At the order, mechanized infantry company squad leader Wang Bo commanded his troops to carry out the mission: unmanned aerial vehicles lifted off for reconnaissance, racing drones executed precise penetration strikes, and each element coordinated according to the plan… Before long, they successfully eliminated the "enemy" observation post and completed the encirclement of the objective.

"Unlike before, this training exercise had squad leaders take the command seat, independently planning the entire operation and making decisions on the spot," Jiang Lei, an officer of the unit, told the author. This shift stemmed from a previous failure.

Prior to this, the unit participated in realistic combat training, with the 2nd Platoon of a mechanized infantry company serving as the advance combat element. At a critical moment, the platoon leader was ruled "killed in action," and according to the combat plan, 1st Squad leader Zhou Yong assumed command. However, faced with a series of special situations issued by the exercise control group—"personnel casualties," "sniper suppression," and others—Zhou Yong sought approval up the chain of command at every step, and his failure to act decisively caused the unit to miss the window of opportunity, resulting in a stalled offensive.

"The squad leader, as 'the soldier's head and the officer's tail' (兵头将尾), occupies the lowest end of the command and control chain, combining the roles of commander and combatant. He must know both how to lead troops and how to employ them." At the after-action review, Jiang Lei went straight to the root of the problem. Their investigation found that the previous "directive-style" (指令式) training model had conditioned squad leaders to passively execute orders, leaving them deficient in independent command and on-the-spot response capabilities.

In response, the unit decided to use a command cadre intensive training course as an opportunity to fully incorporate squad leaders into the command training system: a command training class was established, inviting experienced military officers to lecture and mentor squad leaders; a "pairing of officers and enlisted, with veterans leading newcomers" mechanism was introduced, using a "one case, one analysis" approach to guide squad leaders in learning command skills and accumulating command experience. In addition, during adversarial training, command authority was pushed downward, allowing squad leaders to independently assess the situation, organize coordination, and plan and make decisions, using mission-driven methods to help squad leaders identify their weaknesses and clarify the direction of their efforts. To address the common capability shortfall of "weak coordination ability" among squad leaders, the unit also constructed realistic adversarial conditions, specifically incorporating elements such as special-situation handling and command coordination, to help squad leaders strengthen their command skills and decision-making ability through realistic combat training.

As the training entered a critical phase, the "enemy" dug in behind fortified positions and attempted to launch a counterattack. With the window of opportunity fleeting, Wang Bo decisively ordered: "First element, fix them frontally; second element, flank them with a flanking maneuver around the street corner!" Under his flexible command, each element coordinated closely and successfully dismantled the "enemy" defensive system.

Firepower disposition requires improvement, human-machine coordination is insufficiently tight… At the after-action review following the exercise, Wang Bo led his troops in identifying 3 categories of 12 specific problems and formulated targeted corrective measures.

"Today, squad leaders play the leading role and shoulder the main burden in realistic combat training; their command coordination is more proficient and their battlefield adaptability more flexible," the unit's leadership stated. In a recent continuous day-and-night training exercise, each squad element coordinated with seamless cooperation and successfully completed the mission.