A Brigade of the 76th Group Army Conducts Small-System (小体系) Combat Training Together with Multi-Service Forces at Its Garrison Position

第76集团军某旅依托驻防点位携手多军兵种部队开展小体系练兵

PLA Daily (解放军报) 23 August 2026

Summary

A missile battalion of a brigade under the 76th Group Army, stationed year-round at an isolated plateau position, independently organized small-system (小体系) joint training with four neighboring battalion- and station-level units from the Army Aviation, Air Force radar, and Air Force Aviation branches, building an autonomous coordination network for air-situation warning, command and control, and fire strikes without direction from a higher headquarters. The article documents a specific readiness problem — independently garrisoned tactical units cut off from brigade-level training support defaulting to single-platform, single-subject drills with no adversarial opposition — and records a grassroots-initiated workaround that the brigade Party committee subsequently endorsed and formalized. The framing points to persistent tension between the PLA's system-of-systems (体系) combat ambitions and the structural isolation of units garrisoned far from their parent formations, a gap this battalion's experiment addresses at the tactical edge but whose broader replicability the article leaves open.

The article documents a grassroots-initiated, brigade-sanctioned 'small-system' (小体系) joint training model in which a surface-to-air missile battalion independently built cross-service data-link connectivity and coordinated rules of engagement with Army Aviation, Air Force radar, and Air Force aviation units without higher-level command direction—a bottom-up joint integration approach at the tactical unit level that is analytically notable as a signal of how the PLA is attempting to extend system-of-systems training to isolated, independently garrisoned units on the plateau.

Translation

A Brigade of the 76th Group Army Conducts Small-System (小体系) Combat Training Together with Multi-Service Forces at Its Garrison Position——

Seeing "Large Joint Training (大联训)" from a "Small Position"

■ Cheng Tiebin, Shi Tao; PLA Daily Special Correspondent Zhang Shishui

During training, officers and soldiers of the missile battalion rapidly deploy their equipment. Photo by Hu Zhao.

In the height of the dog days of summer, cold winds still blow through the highland valleys.

This reporter visited a missile battalion of a brigade under the 76th Group Army and witnessed a joint exercise and training event with a strong smell of gunpowder — on the position, radar sets networked and linked up, invisible radio waves precisely locking onto the "enemy"; in the sky, multiple types of combat aircraft struck together, cooperatively executing missions; inside the shelters, streams of information and data surged at high speed, reaching directly to each combat unit at the terminal end……

What surprised this reporter considerably was that this joint training was not organized and led by a higher-level headquarters, but was instead the result of independent exploration by the missile battalion, which joined hands with four battalion- and station-level units from different services and branches garrisoned near its position. They broke through organizational barriers, built autonomous coordination links, achieved tactical unit linkage, and blazed a new path for small-system (小体系) combat training in the depths of the plateau.

"Independent garrison does not mean preparing for war in isolation, and a remote position cannot mean training behind closed doors." Battalion Commander Ji of the missile battalion told this reporter that they have been stationed at a plateau position year-round, far from the brigade's main force, with limited training support conditions. In the past, they organized training mostly around individual soldiers, individual equipment, and individual subjects, with simple scenarios and an absence of adversarial opposition, causing training to languish at a low level for a long time.

To reverse this situation and break through the bottleneck in combat capability building, the missile battalion's Party committee leadership visited surrounding garrison units from different services and branches on multiple occasions, established a coordinated training mechanism with a certain Army Aviation unit, a certain Air Force radar station, a certain Air Force Aviation subunit, and other neighboring forces, and jointly explored a new path for small-system (小体系) combat training.

After repeated discussions, they established a cooperative principle of "information sharing, resource sharing, and complementary capabilities," and relying on existing communications equipment and technical capabilities, they worked together to break through data-link barriers and built an autonomous coordination network covering elements such as air situation early warning, command and control, and fire strikes.

However, the first training exercise did not go smoothly. Due to the absence of unified direction and control by a higher-level command headquarters, each unit held its own position on standards such as "rules of engagement" and "damage assessment": the radar screen showed a "precise hit," but the pilot insisted he had "successfully evaded"; the ground air defense fire unit reported that the drone swarm had been "destroyed," but the drone operators believed that most of the targets had "survived"…… Inside the command post, staff officers from the several participating units argued endlessly over the validity of combat results and the compliance of actions, and the outcome of the battle could not be determined for some time.

The problems exposed during the first joint training attracted a high degree of attention from the Party committee of the brigade in which the missile battalion is located. The brigade Party committee assessed that the small-system (小体系) joint training model spontaneously explored by grassroots units was a beneficial attempt to solve the problem of system-of-systems (体系) combat training for independently garrisoned units, and should be given scientific guidance and vigorous support. Subsequently, the brigade headquarters dispatched a special guidance team to the missile battalion.

"Formulating a training plan must not be rushed — we must tread firmly on every procedural detail, one step at a time." At a seminar, a commander took the lead in reflecting on the problems that had been exposed. Subsequently, the leaders of each participating unit led their staff officers in in-depth deduction of each link, and ultimately settled on a three-step improvement plan: through mutual study of equipment theory, bridge the cognitive gaps in areas such as damage assessment; jointly formulate clear and scientifically grounded rules of engagement and evaluation standards; and after unified rules are established, progressively carry out normalized live-force exercises.

Once the unified rules were issued, the results were immediate. During one training exercise, just as a Blue Force aircraft broke into the Red Force's defensive zone, the ground radar locked on instantly and an air defense missile simulated launch. At the same time, the warning indicator light in the aircraft cockpit lit up simultaneously, and there was no longer any dispute over the outcome of the battle.

The mechanism was refined through coordination, the links were cleared through cooperation, and the small-system (小体系) joint training gradually deepened and became more substantive. In exercise after exercise, each participating unit served as both adversary and support for the others: a certain Air Force radar station provided long-range air situation early warning, filling the "blind spots" in ground air defense detection; a certain Air Force Aviation subunit simulated special situations such as aerial assault and tactical feints; a certain Army Aviation unit conducted low-altitude assault and rapid maneuver. The complex adversarial environment effectively tempered the missile battalion's capabilities in rapid response, precise counterattack, and concealed protection.

Since the new mechanism was established, the missile battalion has regularly organized small-system (小体系) joint training with the other units, fully testing the plateau extreme-condition combat performance of multiple types of equipment, and the other participating units have also benefited greatly. Striking while the iron is hot, they have progressively increased the depth of cooperation: ground radar subunits from the Army and Air Force have each selected technical backbone personnel to go to the other unit for follow-on study and training; pilots and surface-to-air missile operators have boarded each other's equipment to jointly study aerial penetration and counter-penetration tactics; drone pilots and reconnaissance platoon leaders have surveyed positions together, deepening research on reconnaissance and camouflage subjects.

"I never expected that the camouflage methods we commonly use could be seen through by high-altitude reconnaissance." After one joint training exercise concluded, Meng Kun, the reconnaissance squad leader of the missile battalion, remarked with feeling: "In the next step, we need to upgrade our camouflage methods based on the suggestions put forward by our brother units, and train the skill of 'concealment' (藏) more solidly."

Through joint training exercise after exercise and coordination after coordination, the missile battalion has gradually worked out a relatively mature small-system (小体系) joint training model, significantly improving the operability of grassroots battalion and company units in independently conducting system-of-systems (体系) combat training.

Original Chinese

第76集团军某旅依托驻防点位携手多军兵种部队开展小体系练兵—— 从“小阵地”看“大联训” ■程铁镔石涛解放军报特约记者张石水训练中，该导弹营官兵快速展开装备。胡昭摄三伏时节，高原山谷，寒风依旧。记者探访第76集团军某旅某导弹营，目睹了一场硝烟味十足的联合演训——阵地上，座座雷达组网建链，无形电波精准锁“敌”；天空中，多型战机携手出击，协同遂行任务；掩体里，信息数据流高速奔涌，直达末端各作战单元…… 令记者颇感意外的是，这场联合训练并非上级机关牵头组织，而是由该导弹营联手驻防点位附近的4个不同军兵种营、站级单位，自行探索取得的成果。他们打破建制壁垒，构建自主协同链路，实现战术单元联动，在高原腹地蹚出一条小体系练兵新路。 “独立驻防不等于孤军备战，点位偏远也不能闭门练兵。”该导弹营姬营长告诉记者，他们常年驻守高原点位，远离旅队主力部队，训练保障条件受限。以往，他们组织训练大多围绕单兵、单装、单课目展开，场景单一、对抗缺失，导致训练长期在低水平徘徊。为扭转这一局面，破解战斗力建设瓶颈，该导弹营党委一班人多次走访周边不同军兵种驻防单位，与陆军航空兵某部、空军某雷达站、空军航空兵某分队等友邻部队建立协同训练机制，携手探索小体系练兵新路。经过反复研讨，他们确立了“信息互通、资源共享、能力互补”的协作原则，依托现有通信装备和技术力量，合力打通数据链路壁垒，构建起覆盖空情预警、指挥控制、火力打击等要素的自主协同网络。然而，首次训练并不顺利。因缺乏上级指挥机关的统一导调，各家单位在“交战规则”和“毁伤评估”等标准上各执一词：雷达屏幕显示“精准命中”，飞行员却坚称“成功规避”；地面防空火力单元报告无人机蜂群被“摧毁”，无人机操作手却认为大部分目标“幸存”……指挥所内，几个参训单位的参谋围绕战果有效性与行动合规性争论不休，战场胜负一时难以判定。首次联训暴露出的问题，引起该导弹营所在旅党委的高度重视。该旅党委研究认为，基层单位自发探索的小体系联训模式，是破解独立驻防单位体系练兵难题的有益尝试，应予以科学指导、大力支持。随后，旅机关向该导弹营派出专题指导组。 “制订训练方案不能操之过急，必须一步一个脚印踩实流程细节。”研讨会上，一名指挥员结合暴露出的问题带头反思。随后，各参训单位领导带领参谋人员，逐个环节深入推演，最终确定“三步走”的改进方案：通过装备理论互学，打通毁伤判定等方面的认知差异；共同制订科学清晰的交战规则和评判标准；形成统一规则后，循序渐进开展常态化实兵演练。统一规则出台后，效果立竿见影。一场训练中，蓝方一架战机刚突入红方防区，地面雷达瞬间锁定，防空导弹模拟发射。与此同时，战机座舱内的告警信号灯同步亮起，战场胜负再无争议。机制在磨合中健全，链路在协同中畅通，小体系联训逐渐走深走实。一场场训练中，各参训单位互为对手、互为支撑：空军某雷达站提供远程空情预警，为地面防空探测“补盲”；空军航空兵某分队模拟空中突袭、战术佯动等特情；陆军航空兵某部展开低空突击、快速机动，复杂的对抗环境，有效锤炼了该导弹营的快速响应、精准抗击、隐蔽防护等能力。新机制建立以来，该导弹营定期与其他单位组织小体系联训，充分检验了多型装备的高原极限作战性能，其他各家参训单位也受益匪浅。趁热打铁，他们逐步加大合作力度：陆空地面雷达分队分别选派技术骨干，到对方单位跟学跟训；飞行员与地空导弹操作手登上对方装备，共研空中突防与反突防战术；无人机飞手与侦察排排长一同勘察阵地，深化侦察与伪装课题研究。 “没想到，我们常用的伪装手段，能够被高空侦察识破。”一次联训结束后，该导弹营侦察班班长孟昆感慨道，“下一步，我们要根据兄弟单位提出的建议升级伪装手段，把‘藏’的功夫练得更扎实。” 通过一次次联训、一次次磨合，该导弹营逐步摸索出一套较为成熟的小体系联训模式，大幅提升了基层营连自主开展体系练兵的可操作性。