The People's Liberation Army (PLA) conducted a military drill on food supply with local governments on Monday in central Henan Province to test the emergency response capability of military supply stations.

The drill, dubbed "Military Supply 2007," was co-conducted by the Jinan Military Area Command of the PLA and local government departments of Shangdong and Henan provinces.

The scenario was preset as a PLA troop asked the military supply station operated by local government in Zhengzhou to provide food for the soldiers stranded by damaged road.

On getting the mission, the station immediately started its emergency response plan. It cooperated with hotels and local departments of traffic, health, public security and epidemic prevention and got food ready for several hundred soldiers in different locations in less than two hours.

Chen Hanchun, a Jinan Military Area Command officer, said it used to take more than six hours to do the same job before the fast response system was put into place.

Li Jizhong, head of the Zhengzhou military supply station, said the station had computerized its management system, developed facilities, such as in large pots and vehicles specially used for military supply, and cooperated with restaurants and hotels in recent years to build a network for quick military supply.

"We have enhanced our capability of military supply and reduced the time by at least two hours less than the required time," he said.

Military supply stations are built and operated by local governments to support the army passing by.
 
(Xinhua News Agency November 13, 2007)