It is in mid-summer, a group army of the Guangzhou Military Area Command was holding a four-level command-and-staff command post exercise in a northern mountainous area in Guangdong Province.

　　At the command post of the group army, Commander Liu told the reporter, "The current exercise is a combined operations exercise, and we adopt a multi-level and multi-subject mode in this exercise. Its main purpose is to test the resourcefulness and comprehensive capabilities of commanders at various levels in their mastery of modern high-tech warfare".

　　In the mobile command post of an anti-aircraft brigade, Brigade Commander Ye Dingjiang, a graduate from the Air Defense Institute of the PLA Army and the Missile Institute of the PLA Air Force, swiftly made his decision after analyzing the synchronously transmitted information from the early warning radar, and then issued the order to various positions via computer. The whole process took only a few seconds.

　　The overhead reconnaissance by satellite discovered that the "enemy" fighters were to launch an air raid. A motorized infantry regiment was ordered to be the first echelon attacking force to confront the "invading enemy". Gong Zhenghui, chief of staff of the regiment and a master degree holder who assumed his post only a few days, accepted the situation with calm confidence. He timely organized his troops to camouflage themselves and counter enemy's harassing attack. Eventually he led his men accomplish the mission with flying colors.

　　In recent years, this group army has established co-operative ties with more than 10 military and civilian colleges to train high-caliber talents, by which it has obtained large number of interdisciplinary commanders who are well versed in both military and political affairs, and have a mastery of technological and commanding skills. So far, more than 120 master degree holders in this group army have taken up military commanding posts at various levels.

　　By Yan Deyong and Zhang Kejin

　　(July 27, PLA Daily)