Blog #45 How strong is our military with soldier’s cardio? How does it compare to China?

By Firec

Quora

Why is the military focused so much on cardio when it is unrealistic to run 10 miles during combat?

During the Korean War, General Matthew Ridgway made a famous remark. Well, I’ve forgotten the exact wording, but the gist of it was:

"The forefathers of the American infantry would be spinning in their graves if they could see the current state of affairs."

What he was criticizing was the US Army's excessive reliance on vehicles at the time. He pointed out that our army couldn't fight once it left the roads; it failed to prioritize seizing high ground along the route, was unfamiliar with the terrain, too lazy to utilize it, and was unwilling to abandon the automobiles that caused heavy casualties in favor of marching on foot.

He criticized the troops for being unwilling to give up certain material comforts, fearing departure from the few available highways, and refusing to maneuver without radio and telephone communications. He encouraged the soldiers by reminding them that during the War of Independence, American infantrymen won against the well-equipped British forces precisely by constantly trekking over mountains on foot.

When I read The Coldest Winter, I felt a deep resonance with General Ridgway. The book mentions that during the advance to the Yalu River, even the elite advance guard of the US Army carried only a rifle and 20-odd rounds of ammunition per soldier, with all other baggage loaded onto the carrying poles of Korean porters. One can imagine how awkward the soldiers' situation would be once gunfire broke out and the porters seized the opportunity to flee—no wonder they always claimed they were forced to retreat because they ran out of ammo.

Hence, Chinese soldiers mockingly referred to them as "Young Master Soldiers" (a term implying pampered, effete troops).

Since then, the US military has changed quite a bit; at the very least, they do more running drills.

However, by the standards of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), 10 miles is still on the low side. The PLA's standard for forced marches is 30 miles per day. Every soldier, including logistics and technical personnel, must carry their weapons and equipment to complete this training on foot. With the proliferation of exoskeletons and robot wolves, this standard may be further raised in the future.