By Ren Baorong and Yan Liang
BEIJING, Nov. 8 -- In late autumn, a joint search and rescue task was carried out on Kuoqiong Gangri glacier in Southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region. At an altitude of 5,500 meters, members of the Snow Wolf Mountaineering Expedition, a new-type militia group founded just one year ago, collaborated with the mobile rescue troops under the Xizang Contingent of the People’s Armed Police Force (PAP) and an aerial rescue squadron of an army aviation brigade for a joint search and rescue task.
The snow-covered plateau in Xizang has been recognized as a life-forbidden zone. Being familiar with the geographical situation, social and folk conditions therein, the militias have always been the right-hand assistants for the military in fulfilling national defense missions.
Last summer, an array of new-type militia groups with special skills, advanced technology and excellent equipment were established, including the Snow Hawk Air Patrol Team, the Snow Pigeon Communication Team, the Snow Wolf Mountaineering Expedition, the Snow Fox Quick Response Team, and the Snow Mastiff Fighting Team.
According to the commander of the recent joint exercise who is assigned to the PLA Xizang Military Command, after a year’s training, the batch of new-type militia groups have become an important part of the military in carrying out diversified military tasks.
They have served to improve the organization, mobilization, rapid reaction, and support capabilities of China’s reserve force for national defense (RFND), pushing the construction of reserve force in Xizang into a new stage featuring multi-factor integration and all-round development.
As for now, all the new-type militia units with special skills, advanced technology and excellent equipment account for nearly 40% of all the militia forces in Lhasa region. And more and more high-quality social resources are being invested in the construction of reserve force.
