Forging Ahead Toward the Centenary Army · New Appearance, New Actions | Catching the Express Train of "Smart Border Defense"
A reporter visits the Eastern Extremity Outpost and experiences the new look of border troops in the new era—— Catching the Express Train of "Smart Border Defense"
■ Chi Bo, Wang Bin, PLA Daily reporters Bi Xiaotian, Zhong Xia
Midsummer. Two o'clock in the morning. At the Eastern Extremity Outpost, the first ray of sunlight has already pierced through the clouds, dyeing the sky a shade of rose red.
This outpost is located on Heixiazi Island, the easternmost point of the country's land territory—the place in the motherland that greets the sun first. The border defense company of the Northern Theater Command Army stationed here bears year-round responsibility for comprehensive control operations in the border area, loyally guarding the peace of the frontier.
At this moment, the reporter follows the fully armed outpost soldiers onto the patrol route.
"High-tech equipment has come to the frontier pass; patrols no longer require a saddle on a horse; the screen is clear as water, a click of the mouse brings it close to the eye…" The moment the patrol vehicle starts, Staff Sergeant First Class and communications technician Liu Xiansheng recites a jingle composed by the outpost's soldiers. Liu Xiansheng tells the reporter that over the years the outpost has changed enormously: their primary mission has shifted from conventional-style patrolling to combat-oriented duty. Thanks to the continuous enrichment of technological means, the two operational modules of waterborne and land operations have been efficiently integrated, and the tactics of combined water-land sealing and control (水陆联合封控战法) have been continuously refined. Beyond that, coordinated linkage among "Party, government, military, police, and civilians" (党政军警民) and among "battalion, company, outpost, vessel, and team" (营连哨艇组) has become routine, and the efficiency of border management and control has improved substantially compared with the past.
Outside the vehicle window, vegetation is lush and the river breeze rushes in. Before long, the road ahead of the patrol vehicle simply ends; everyone jumps out, forms up in neat ranks, and begins the foot patrol.
Shortly afterward, the reporter and the patrol team step into a stretch of water-grass wetland. Tall, dense water grass severely obstructs the line of sight. Walking through the marsh—one foot sinking deep, the next barely touching ground—one careless step plunges a boot into a muddy pit, instantly filling it with mud. As the reporter walks on, a sharp stinging sensation strikes the back of the hand. Looking down, a large welt from an insect bite has already risen.
Noticing the reporter's surprise, Liu Xiansheng parts the reeds to clear a path for the group while explaining: "Many people's first impression of the Eastern Extremity Outpost is 'cold.' In reality, for the soldiers garrisoned on the island, summer is harder to endure than winter. The island has large numbers of insects with potent bites; after a single patrol, the body is covered in large welts, painful and unbearably itchy."
Mid-conversation, the patrol reaches terrain that is nearly impassable even on foot. Liu Xiansheng points to a vast expanse of grass ahead and explains: "In the past, soldiers on patrol could only observe as far as their feet could carry them; areas they could not reach naturally became patrol blind spots. These blind spots created hidden dangers for wildlife cross-border movement, illegal border crossings, and the like. Today, the outpost has integrated means such as UAV reconnaissance and early warning and three-dimensional evidence collection into daily duty operations, exploring a 'smart control' (智慧管控) model that has achieved zero dead angles and zero gaps in border guarding and protection."
Private First Class Hu Senrui picks up the thread: "UAVs can fly to places our feet cannot reach—saving time, saving effort, and achieving higher efficiency." As he speaks, he pilots a UAV into the air; the field of view on the remote-control screen continuously expands. "UAVs see farther, wider, and more clearly than the human eye; not a single corner can escape their view," Hu Senrui says.
"If we were only using UAVs to survey blind spots, that still wouldn't qualify as intelligentization (智能化)," Liu Xiansheng tells the reporter. UAV detection is only one part of "smart control." In recent years, high-technology equipment such as eagle-eye panoramic systems and portable informatized terminals have been successively put into use. Today, front-line patrol footage can be transmitted in real time back to operations duty rooms at every echelon, and multi-dimensional surveillance has achieved full coverage across the outpost's area of responsibility…
The patrol over, with no time to rest, the reporter follows the soldiers up to the highest point on the island—the watchtower. Entering the observation room, fully armed sentries on duty are seen vigilantly observing the surrounding situation. At the central surveillance console, an observer monitors the status of each position in real time through an integrated radar-video platform. "This equipment has advanced performance; it can accurately identify targets and provides strong technical support for handling emergencies," the observer says.
His words have barely ended when an alert message suddenly pops up on the surveillance screen. The observer clicks the mouse and rapidly reports the anomaly up the chain. He then picks up a walkie-talkie, reports the bearing coordinates, and issues handling instructions—the entire sequence swift and seamless, executed in one fluid motion. On the surveillance screen, the reporter watches as the patrol squad, upon receiving the order, immediately adjusts direction and moves toward the target area.
"In the past, when an emergency arose, we could only communicate by walkie-talkie, and handling efficiency was not high enough. Over these years, information means have been widely applied, video surveillance covers the entire island, and the force's response speed is faster and the effect of coordinated handling is better." Outpost political instructor Li Zhengxuan tells the reporter that during a border emergency-response exercise organized not long ago, after the integrated radar-video platform detected a "suspicious target," the quick-reaction element urgently deployed, the checkpoint element moved forward to intercept, and the UAV operator launched a UAV for close-in reconnaissance… The participating soldiers coordinated with tacit understanding and swiftly apprehended the "suspicious personnel."
In the midst of the conversation, a UAV flies past outside the window. The reporter looks around but finds no one operating it. Li Zhengxuan says: "That is a UAV launched from a UAV nest (无人机机巢). As long as the parameters are set in advance, the UAV can take off automatically on a fixed schedule for surveillance, and can even adjust its flight route and timing based on weather conditions."
From "human patrol and eye observation" to "smart control" (智慧管控), what has been upgraded and replaced at the Eastern Extremity Outpost is not only hardware equipment and duty methods, but also the soldiers' technological literacy (科技素养). Today, soldiers can not only assemble UAVs themselves, but can also use 3D printing technology to modify UAV components according to mission requirements.
Leaving the watchtower and passing through a grove of Mongolian oak trees, Liu Xiansheng tells the reporter that this is the company's "Talent Grove" (人才林). To encourage everyone to take root at the outpost and render meritorious service on the frontier, the company has maintained a tradition for many years: outstanding soldiers may plant an oak tree bearing an exclusive number in the "Talent Grove" as a witness to their honor. Standing before the oak tree he himself planted, Liu Xiansheng gently strokes the trunk, his face filled with pride: "Over the years, the number of outstanding talents at the outpost has grown ever larger, and the 'Talent Grove' has grown ever denser."
"Soldier Zhao Jiayu has become a skilled UAV operator; Guo Zhiqiang is proficient in multimedia terminal applications; the study group Li Jun took the lead in establishing has achieved multiple innovation results…" Speaking of the company's talents, Liu Xiansheng rattles them off with ease. "We have caught the express train of 'smart border defense' (智慧边防), and like the oak trees in the 'Talent Grove,' we are continuously growing and developing our talents in the fertile soil of the frontier."