Falcon Commando special operators are training. Photo by Yang Zhiyi
On April 9, 2014, Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, President of the People's Republic of China, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, presented the flag to the Falcon Commando, emphasizing that the "Falcon Commando" is a national-level counter-terrorism fist force.
In the past 5 years, the Falcon Commando team has kept in mind President Xi's instructions and forged a special combat anti-terrorism team, creating one impressive performance after another.
In October last year, a training base on the outskirts of Beijing was filled with smoke, and an international sniper shooting competition held by the armed police force "Blade - 2018" kicked off, where sniper elites from 21 countries launched a peak duel. Members of the Chinese Armed Police Falcon Commando team won the individual all-around championship and the group team championship.
In the past 5 years since the flag was awarded, as a national-level anti-terrorism fist unit, the Falcon Commando Team has kept in mind President Xi's entrustment, forged a special anti-terrorism special combat team, and created one after another impressive performance -
According to the anti-terrorism situation, the Falcon Commando team constantly updated its training concept, rushed to the desert Gobi, alpine canyons, urban blocks, high temperature, high humidity, alpine environment and other areas, carried out dozens of trainings every year; successfully completed the security tasks of major events such as the National Two Sessions and the Boao Forum; participated in the World Military and Police Sniper Competition 8 times and won 16 championships; participated in the international special forces competition 4 times and won 6 gold medals. Recently, the reporter came to the Falcon Commando to explore the "mystery" of this team becoming a counter-terrorism special combat force.
The battle flag is in hand, the responsibility is on the shoulders, and every team member is well aware of his or her duties and missions
"What is your slogan?"
"Falcon Assault! Invincible! Anti-Terrorist Sword! Fight for your country!"
"Push-ups, 200 more!"
On an ordinary training day, the shouts of Falcon Commando special operators resounded throughout the training ground. The reporter saw that the cold wind on the outskirts of Beijing blew on the team members, but the sweat could not stop flowing down.
In peacetime, the Falcon Commandos used the training ground and the competition field as the "first battlefield" for counter-terrorism. After winning the championship in the "Blade -2018" International Sniper Shooting Competition, the Falcon Commando did not hold a celebration meeting, but first reviewed and reflected on the reasons for the failure in the challenge sniper and integrated combat sniper courses. Unit Commander Mi Yanguang told reporters: "As a counter-terrorism 'national team', we are responsible for diversified anti-terrorism combat tasks, and our combat skills must be excellent and in line with the international first-class level!"
Shouldering heavy responsibilities and promising the country, the word "loyalty" is deeply integrated into the blood of the Falcon Commando. At the end of the day's training, Wang Zhanjun, the captain of the three special operations brigades, will gently wipe away the dust of the national flag on the right arm of the special combat uniform. "A national flag represents a strong motherland!" Wang Zhanjun said: "No matter how hard the training is, everyone will carefully wipe and sort out the national flag on their right arm every day, which has been internalized into a kind of action consciousness of the team members!"
"With the battle flag in hand and the responsibility on their shoulders, every member of the Falcon Commando is well aware of his duty and mission." Zhang Wei, political commissar of the army, said, "We will definitely sharpen the anti-terrorism sword even sharper and reassure the party and the people." ”
To test both physical strength and brain power, special combatants must be constantly quenched in a real combat environment
"Bang!" A "gunshot" came from the cabin of a passenger plane not far away. At the end of last year, an anti-hijacking combat drill in the Falcon Commando's "Devil's Week" extreme training began, and Wang Zhanjun commanded the team to confront the "terrorists" all day and did not eat hot food all day. Wang Zhanjun, who only slept for more than 3 hours, "was thinking about how to deal with 'terrorists' in his dreams."
"Devil's Week" extreme training is a training method for special combatants to train their excellent skills, and it is also a quarterly routine course for the Falcon Commando team - in 7 days and nights, each team member carries 30 kilograms throughout the whole process, trains for 18 hours a day, and continuously completes more than 40 training contents such as 10 kilometers of running, 30 kilometers of heavy marching, extreme combat, and comprehensive obstacle crossing in unfamiliar and complex areas such as mountains, cliffs, beaches, rivers, etc., challenging the physiological and psychological limits and hammering the enemy's hard skills.
"In order to forge counter-terrorism elites who can be solved in difficult situations, reversed by endgames, victorious in dangerous situations, and reborn in dead games, it is necessary to let special operators constantly quench in the actual combat environment." Ye Peng, commander of the special operations training brigade, said.
Special operations is a multi-functional comprehensive contest of physical fitness, intelligence, and skills, and the Falcon Commando is pushing training to "burn calories" and "burn brain cells." During a drill, the abandoned quarry hid the dens of "terrorists", snipers lurked in the sniper position in advance, the battle was about to start, but it was suddenly stopped by the guidance and dispatch team, and more than 10 "terrorists" immediately shifted their shapes and transpositions. In such a drill, the tactical connection is closer, closer to the actual battle, giving the team members less time to think and judge. It has become the standard of the "Devil's Week" of the unit.
With faith in their hearts, the "Falcon" people do not accept defeat
At the end of 2017, in a variety show, a "post-95" girl wearing camouflage green had to challenge a nearly impossible task: to observe at a sniper point 350 meters away from the target, 23 meters high, and to remember 5 randomly set glass container positions in 30 seconds. After adding a layer of cloth in front of the target, the girl used spatial memory to snipe at a distance, 5 shots, 5 hits, no false shots.
The girl's name is Guo Zirui, and she is the squad leader of the Falcon Commando Women's Special Warfare Brigade. In 2013, she had just joined the army and was dragged to the finish line after falling behind in the 3-kilometer cross-country, and her training results lagged behind in the same year. After rigorous training in the Falcon Commando, Guo Zirui grew from a "latecomer" to an excellent sniper. "Since you have the honor of being a special operator of the Falcon, you should be different, at least in training, you must be solid, and if you don't practice well, you are not qualified!" Guo Zirui said.
The reporter saw in the Falcon Commando Women's Special Operations Brigade that on an exhibition board, the record-breaking course results of the brigade's military training and the corresponding record holders were posted. Yao Yanan, who appeared the most on the list, broke four records last November. The belief in not accepting defeat is rooted in the hearts of the members of the Falcon Commando.
"Passing doesn't count, good just started, full ring watching the bounce." Excellent military quality comes from accumulated training. Recruit Han Huanqiang participated in the Devil's Week training in the third quarter of last year, with a torn fracture of the foot and a plaster cast still following the training every day; Li Jian, who has been a soldier for 12 years, served as a commander in an extreme confrontation training course, competed with other team members, knee and patella injuries, similar injuries, but never wanted to give up. "I have a belief in my heart that 'Falcon' people never accept defeat!" Li Jian said.
(Wang Jifei Rong Pengfei participated in the writing)
Layout design: Zhang Danfeng
People's Daily ( 2019-03-24 06 edition)