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| The PLA’s official website reported that its frontline troops have been equipped with a number of new-type border patrol outfits recently.(Source: HT FILE PHOTO.) |
China has made high-tech arrangements for People’s Liberation Army (PLA) frontline soldiers posted at high altitudes to promote the troops’ preparation for war, the defence ministry said on Thursday.
Defence ministry spokesperson Colonel Wu Qian shared details about the new logistical arrangements for PLA border troops without naming India but the message is clear as it comes in the backdrop of the months-long border conflict with India in eastern Ladakh.
The details shared by the military officer also indicated that the Communist Party of China (CPC)-headed government is looking at a long haul in border areas.
Wu was responding to a question at the monthly but restricted defence ministry briefing on Chinese media reports, which said that the PLA was using high-tech means to improve the training and living conditions of officers and men deployed for frontier defence at high altitudes.
“Recently, the Logistics Support Department of the Central Military Commission (China’s highest military body headed by President Xi Jinping) and other relevant departments have innovated and applied high-tech means to improve the training and living conditions of officers and men in the plateau and alpine climate,” Wu said.
Wu added that for soldiers’ accommodation, a new type of self-powered heat preserving shelter has been distributed among the troops, which can be built by officers and men and is self-sufficient in energy.
“In areas with an outdoor temperature of -40 degrees centigrade and an altitude of over 5,000 metres, the indoor temperature can be guaranteed to be higher than 15 degrees centigrade,” Wu said.
“Moreover, the newly-developed outfits (for soldiers), such as new individual sleeping bags, down training coats and cold-proof boots, are characterised by cold prevention and heat retention, portability and higher comfortableness, which have been specifically designed for alpine cold areas,” the military spokesperson said.
Wu added that the new thermal insulation devices for food storage and new-type outdoor instant foods for alpine cold areas are under trial.
“In addition, a batch of new-type insulated vegetable cellars with moisture-proof, anti-freeze, and fresh-keeping functions have been built and put into use. The UAVs are also being used to deliver fresh fruits and vegetables to duty posts to overcome the inconvenience in materials replenishment,” Wu added.
“The logistic support capabilities are directly connected with the combat effectiveness. The application of high-tech means will facilitate the construction of logistic support capacity and promote the troops’ war preparation work,” Wu said.
Separately, the PLA’s official website reported that its frontline troops have been equipped with a number of new-type border patrol outfits recently.
“The upgrading of outfits reflects the improvement of the PLA’s comprehensive and precise logistics support capabilities,” the report said.
The new outfits comprise 15 categories including cold-proof hood, cold-proof training clothes, lightweight cold-proof training coat, quick-dry underwear, fleece underwear, down coat and pants, down vest, cold-proof gloves, cold-proof socks, training cap, anti-glare glasses, camouflage windbreaker, training underwear, leg wrappings and multi-function insulated water bottle.
“Through matching varieties, this series of outfits could provide solutions to the real combat needs under different environment conditions, from alpine cold areas on plateau, to high humidity and high temperature areas, or to areas with large temperature difference spans,” the PLA website report added.