Firepower Resources Available for Coordination Grow Increasingly Rich; Tactical Controllers' Vision No Longer Confined to Land
A Brigade of the 73rd Group Army Improves Tactical Controllers' Joint Operations Capability—— Sharpening the Eyes That See Through the Battlefield ■ Chen Hongbin, PLA Daily Special Correspondent Liao Xiaobin
In the early hours of a summer morning, armor rumbled across a training ground as a multi-service cross-regional joint training exercise entered its most intense phase. An assault element of a brigade of the 73rd Group Army, tasked with an offensive mission, came under "enemy" fire and was brought to a halt.
At the critical moment, the brigade's tactical controller Zhang Tao decisively directed a friendly naval vessel to strike the "enemy" firing position, helping the assault element break through the "enemy" defensive line.
"If a tactical controller's capabilities are not up to standard, an entire combat operation can fall apart at the last moment." Stepping off the training ground, the brigade's leadership told reporters that in recent years, as the joint operations system has been continuously refined and the fire-strike chains linking different services and branches have grown increasingly complete, tactical controllers positioned at the forward line of troops have become like the "nerve endings" connecting each fire unit, and their capability and quality directly determine the effectiveness of joint operations.
Zhang Tao feels this deeply. One year, the brigade participated in realistic confrontational training organized by a higher echelon. During the exercise, as a forward attack element suddenly came under "enemy" fire suppression, Zhang Tao immediately requested fire support from the organic artillery, only to be told that the artillery element was being harassed by a small "enemy" force and could not provide a timely fire response. The tactical opportunity was fleeting; in desperation, Zhang Tao turned to directing an airborne aircraft to fire missiles in support. In the end, although the "enemy" target was destroyed, the missile's lethal radius far exceeded Zhang Tao's estimate, resulting in "friendly fire" casualties among his own forces.
"I had no idea this type of missile was so powerful." During the after-action review, Zhang Tao was filled with remorse. Having come from an artillery background, he was thoroughly familiar with the strike effectiveness of various artillery pieces, and when directing fires on the battlefield he had habitually "stuck with what he knew and avoided the unfamiliar." Over time, this left him with a poor understanding of the damage characteristics of munitions from other services and branches.
Zhang Tao's story was not an isolated case. In subsequent after-action reviews, the brigade found that a considerable number of tactical controllers had, to varying degrees, an insufficient grasp of the equipment capabilities of other services and branches and an inadequate understanding of fire coordination rules.
"Fire-strike guidance concerns the overall battlefield situation; we must do everything possible to help tactical controllers remedy their shortcomings." The brigade's leadership explained that they proactively contacted multiple academies and equipment manufacturers, compiling into reference booklets information on the capabilities and typical employment scenarios of the main combat fire platforms of other services and branches for tactical controllers to study at any time. Simultaneously, the brigade organized its backbone personnel to conduct a comprehensive review of typical cases from routine exercises and training, which were used as intensive training materials for tactical controllers. After a period of time, the brigade's tactical controllers had broadly mastered the equipment capabilities and fire coordination rules of multiple services and branches, resulting in more precise fire requests and more efficient target guidance.
Just when it seemed that understanding the "temperament" of each service's and branch's fire strikes would be enough to direct fires with ease, a training exercise the previous year gave Zhang Tao another profound lesson. During that exercise, the brigade's left-flank assault group had barely launched its charge when it was suddenly met with fierce fire counteraction from "enemy" forward positions, causing large numbers of "casualties." At the critical moment, Zhang Tao promptly directed Air Force aircraft to provide air fire support. However, the Air Force aircraft were long delayed in appearing in the designated airspace, and the fire support arrived more than ten minutes behind schedule. Zhang Tao was completely baffled.
"The route you recommended passes through 'enemy' air defense forces along the way; we had no choice but to detour on short notice..." At the after-action review, an Air Force pilot spoke bluntly. These words made Zhang Tao flush with embarrassment: he had been fixated solely on the narrow task of "directing fire strikes" without thinking from the pilot's perspective—the route that appeared shortest had sent the friendly aircraft directly into the adversary's air defense fire network.
This "late" fire support made the brigade realize: a tactical controller must have a pair of clear eyes that see through the entire battlefield. If one focuses only on one's own task while ignoring the risks faced by forces of other services and branches, "guidance" can become "misdirection." To this end, the brigade's Party committee adjusted its development approach, embedding tactical controllers in units of other services and branches for follow-on training: going deep into aviation units to understand aircraft performance limits and penetration logic; entering shipboard command compartments to learn firsthand about naval fire employment and route planning...
As the path of cross-service joint training and co-development has continued to open up, the tactical controllers of the brigade have steadily filled the gaps in their overall battlefield awareness. Today, the brigade has established a routine communication and liaison mechanism with naval and Air Force units, regularly exchanging personnel for instruction and discussion.
During a joint training exercise not long ago, the reporter observed the following scene: special operations soldiers infiltrated deep into "enemy" territory, transmitting real-time target information back to the brigade's tactical controllers; the brigade's tactical guidance team coordinated closely with the special operations soldiers to direct timely fire strikes; an Army Aviation element pressed forward at ultra-low altitude while the brigade provided it with precise fire suppression.
Stepping off the training ground, the brigade's leadership remarked with feeling: "Today, our tactical controllers' vision is no longer confined to 'land.' They are constantly looking further toward the 'deep blue' and upward toward the 'clouds.' The firepower resources they can coordinate have grown increasingly rich, laying a solid foundation for the smooth conduct of joint operations."