Navy captain delegation’s US tour receives compliments

The picture shows a scene of the special operations members of the two sides in a pistol firing drill during the exchange. (Photo by Sun Haichao)

The captain delegation of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) returned in Beijing on February 6, 2015 after its four-day visit to the United States. Both sides gave a positive evaluation for this visit.

The reporter learned that the delegation received high-standard reception from the US military. Admiral Jonathan W. Greenert, chief of Naval Operations, even added a temporary interactive chance and answered in detail six questions from members of the Chinese delegation.

This is a mutual visit and according to a communication plan of China and US, the US Navy captain delegation will visit China later this year.

The PLAN captain delegation has a total of 29 young officers and most of them were born in the 1980s. They are all frontline combat officers from surface warships, submarines and naval aviation troops.

Most of these young officers have experience in major missions such as multi-national naval activities and the escort missions in the Gulf of Aden. They have good command of English as well as expertise, and can therefore have in-depth exchanges with frontline commanders of the US Navy.

Zhang Junshe, chief of the PLAN captain delegation and researcher of the PLA Naval Military Academic Research Institute, said that this is such a tight visit.

During the four-day visit, the delegation went to Washington D.C., Newport and New York. They visited the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Surface Warfare Officers School and the Naval War College. The delegation also held seminars and discussions with the cadets of the captain class in the Surface Warfare Officers School.

Zhang said that the US attached great importance to their visit. Admiral Jonathan W. Greenert received the delegation at the Pentagon.

"After his speech, Greenert offered a chance to interact with members of the delegation, allowing members of the delegation to ask him questions," Zhang said, adding that they were not aware of that chance before.

Delegation members asked six questions including the possibility of arranging trainings to each other's ships when China and the US are in the Gulf of Aden escort mission and the possibility of future China-US naval cooperation in the Arctic waters.

Greenert appeared to be very patient and in high spirits. He said that he applauds and supports the future naval cooperation between China and the US and will further explore cooperation areas with China's navy.

When answering a question asked by a member of Chinese delegation "what does it take to become the highest commander of the US Navy", Greenert replied enthusiastically that it is necessary to work hard and to have team spirit as well as morality.

During the visit, the most important program is the seminars and discussions with the cadets of the captain class in the Surface Warfare Officers School. Students of that class are future captains, vice captains, division chiefs and other frontline commanders of the US Navy.

According to Zhang Junshe, the two sides discussed two major issues. Firstly, the two sides held a round-table discussion on the use of The Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea, (hereinafter referred to as CUES). Secondly, they exchanged their respective experience in the humanitarian disaster relief, maritime search and rescue, anti-piracy, counter-terrorism and other non-traditional security areas.

In the 14th annual meeting of the Western Pacific Naval Symposium hosted by the PLAN in April 2014, the "CUES" was passed unanimously by 21 member states and four observer states. From 2014 to the present, China and the US have conducted at least two joint exercises in different waters.

In mid-December 2014, China and the US conducted a joint exercise on the use of "CUES". Earlier on August 8, 2014 just after the "Pacific Rim -2014" exercise, the Chinese Navy fleet held a "CUES" joint drill with the US in the eastern Pacific.

Zhang said that at the CUES seminars, the two sides had in-depth discussion on the use of communication signals and action movements during assumed encounters in high seas.

This exchange is also positive for practical works in the future. Zhang said the two sides have many similarities in procedures of dealing with naval incidents.

"For example, during a naval exercise, when warships find that there are civilian ships in front, the two sides would take the same approach, namely wait or outflank. They will never fire at civilian ships."

On the content of this exchange, Cdr. Justin Kubu, Surface Warfare Officers School director for the captain class, said that there are two major achievements. First, the daily roundtable discussions fostered a common bond through discussion of specific evolutions at sea. Second, it allowed officers from both countries to gain better understanding of their counterparts' methods for training and educating prospective commanding officers.

"This engagement provided a unique opportunity for current and prospective commanding officers from both nations to learn more about each other professionally," said Kubu. "During the discussions, participants from both sides discussed training processes and shared insights as to how officers are prepared for at-sea command assignments. I feel the event was very positive and aligned well with the continuing effort to build mutual trust between our two Navies."

In the article "Surface Warfare Officers School (SWOS) Hosts Chinese Officers for Exchange Visit", posted in the official website of the US Navy, Capt. Dave Welch, SWOS commanding officer, said, "Command in any Navy is an extraordinary responsibility," "We greatly value the opportunity to learn and observe how others prepare their officers for this role. Additionally, I am thrilled that SWOS could play a role in building trust with the Chinese Navy. We look forward to the next opportunity, either here in Newport or in China."

The article also quoted US Navy official as saying that naval frontline commanders of the US are expected to visit China later in 2015.

In addition to discussions, Zhang Junshe said the US had many other arrangements for this visit. Although the delegation spent a short time visiting the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, the US invited the delegation for lunch with students of the academy at the campus cafeteria, which also shows the sincerity of the US