Equipment: It is much more troublesome to run normally

The plateau region has a complex natural climate, which poses a severe test for the use and maintenance of weapons and equipment. Taking the low pressure problem as an example, the air pressure decreases with the elevation, the air pressure at 3000 meters above sea level decreases by 30%, and the air pressure at 5000 meters above sea level decreases by 50%. The oxygen content of air in the plateau is reduced by 30%-60% on average compared with the plain area. According to statistics, in the high-pressure and hypoxic plateau region, the engine starting resistance increases, and the operating power is reduced by at least 30%. Even the aircraft engine will encounter problems such as difficulty in starting and reduced thrust. At that time, the Soviet military equipped Mi-8 and Mi-24 helicopters with insufficient plateau performance. As a result, during the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan, these helicopters had significantly lowered the ceiling after loading weapons or loading personnel. They could only travel between the valleys, which was very vulnerable Attack by Afghan guerrillas. Even the US military in the contemporary Afghan war has not completely solved this problem.
Statistics show that the common sand and bad terrain on the plateau will also increase vehicle fuel consumption by 30%, load capacity by 25%, and speed by 50%, which will seriously affect the performance of combat vehicles. At the same time, reduced air pressure and reduced air density will also reduce the distance of high-voltage insulation, resulting in electronic equipment prone to failure. The seemingly insignificant defects such as large temperature difference between day and night, strong ultraviolet rays, and dry air can also cause failures in the sealing of oil and gas pipelines, accelerated aging of rubber products, silver streaks in the cabin glass, and tire peeling.
In addition, the problem of high cold in the plateau area is also very prominent. When the altitude increases by 300 meters, the temperature drops by 2-3 degrees Celsius. In areas above 5,000 meters above sea level, the time below 0 degrees Celsius can last up to 11 months. This extreme low temperature environment has a serious impact on the combat effectiveness of weapons and equipment, including damage to light weapon components, and the hardening, brittleness, and even fracture of rubber and plastic components in equipment, causing various unpredictable failures. Therefore, even the heavy mechanized troops must ensure that the equipment is completed in the cold area environment before switching to the cold area of ​​the plateau, and switch to special cold fuel and lubricating oil.
The plateau ice and snow weather and complex terrain also bring many difficulties to the plateau equipment march. Snow layers over 30 centimeters will hinder the movement of infantry and motorized artillery. Both wheeled and tracked vehicles may encounter track slippage and snow pits during off-road marches. Under such circumstances, the use of heavy weapons on the plateau will be severely restricted, and light combat vehicles and firepower assignments will be more favored by plateau troops.

Medical: need to be equipped with professional equipment

The special geographical environment of the plateau region also places high demands on medical supplies, especially the large demand for medicine, blood, oxygen, and liquid. However, the plateau area is often sparsely populated, the medicinal materials are difficult to prepare on site, and the climate and environment are special. Even the injections are sometimes frozen and frozen, which affects the use. Many rescue equipment and sanitary equipment in the plain area are difficult to fully adapt to the plateau area operations. This puts higher requirements on the reserve of medicinal materials and the supply behind.
The plateau area has complex terrain and steep roads, mostly in high mountains, canyons and dense forests, with dangerous terrain and high mountains and deep valleys. Even when roads were built in wartime, because of narrow roads, steep slopes, and sharp bends, it was easy to slip into the car after rain and snow. The speed of the car was extremely slow, and it was very difficult to evacuate the wounded. In this case, the life-saving helicopter becomes one of the options for emergency evacuation.
On the other hand, the livable environment in the plateau area is more dispersed, resulting in a long line of garrison distribution points. The battlefield area and the rear hospital often have a long distance. Even under the fastest response, the injured have to face long distances during the evacuation. The risk of increased bumps and injuries can easily lead to shock, infection and visceral complications. These put forward higher requirements for the level of ambulance along the way.
In response to the problems caused by the lack of oxygen on the plateau, the Xinjiang Military Region and the Southern Xinjiang Military Region of the PLA equipped the front line company of the plateau with oxygen supply equipment. The altitude checkers above 3000 meters were equipped with oxygen generators and oxygen cylinders to supply oxygen. The head is aerobic.” The border guard post above 4000 meters above sea level is also equipped with a portable oxygen generator, which weighs about 2 kg and is only the size of a shoulder bag. It can work continuously for 6 to 8 hours. In addition, the Tibet Military Region has built hyperbaric oxygen chambers in Nagqu, Shigatse, Shannan, Nyingchi, Changdu and other places, which can be used for the treatment of various plateau diseases.

Personnel: dual physical and psychological tests

Compared with reinforced iron equipment, troops face more challenges when they enter the plateau. The most common challenge is the severe altitude sickness caused by hypobaric hypoxia. Many people who have just arrived on the plateau will soon experience extreme dyspnea, headache, nausea, weakness and dizziness, as well as sequelae such as anorexia and infirmity. According to statistics from the US military, after living in the 4,300-meter plateau for a few months, the maximum labor efficiency or energy consumption of some people is only 70% or 80% of the plain area. The People’s Liberation Army has also found that long-term working in an oxygen-deficient plateau environment will lead to a decline in the immunity of officers and soldiers and poor sleep quality, which may easily lead to a variety of plateau diseases. Not only that, the low pressure, low oxygen, cold, strong ultraviolet radiation and other harsh environments in the plateau area will not only bring adverse effects on the body, but also seriously affect the mental health of the soldiers stationed on the plateau. In addition, there is little interpersonal communication and information. Social factors such as occlusion and small amount of activity can easily induce anxiety, obsession, depression and other psychological diseases. In view of this special environment, we must insist on improving the working and living environment of the garrison troops, and increase humane care and psychological counseling.
The common ice and snow weather on the plateau is also a direct challenge for troops and soldiers. Medical research shows that if you only wear ordinary winter clothes and are continuously exposed to the severe cold of minus 30 degrees Celsius for two or three hours, your hand strength will be reduced by 20%-30%. If even winter clothes are not available, the brain may lose its judgement when exposed to the outdoor for a certain period of time, the temperature of the extremities of the limbs will drop more severely, and frostbite, amputation or even death may occur. Therefore, in the plateau area, wearing thick clothing is a necessary condition for thermal insulation. At the same time, we must pay attention to eating hot food and increase body heat. The US military regulations stipulate that it is possible to eat combat rations or squad rations in cold areas, “but whenever possible, hot food should be served as standard. In addition, hot soup or hot food should be served between normal meals. Drink”.
Marching on ice-covered plateaus must consider the problem of dazzling sunlight reflections to prevent snow blindness and ultraviolet radiation. Both the US Army’s “Survival Manual” and the US Marine Corps’ “Single Soldier Protection Instruction” clearly require that sunglasses should be worn on snow-covered plateaus. If you don’t have sunglasses, you can dig two long and narrow slits on a small piece of cardboard, wood chips, leather or cloth to cover your eyes. This temporary blindfold is more convenient than sunglasses in a snowstorm. In 1950, the People’s Liberation Army entered the advance cavalry company in Ali, Tibet, and suffered snow blindness only three days after marching in the snow. The cooking class accidentally found that the pot black wiped under the eyes helped prevent snow blindness. Mongolian and Kazakh warriors also used black horsetails to make eye masks, which used simple methods to overcome the problem of snow blindness. Nowadays, with the development of equipment, the optical sighting systems equipped with sniper rifles and heavy weapons should also be adjusted accordingly during plateau combat training to overcome the dazzling problems in plateau snow regions.