50s: Starting with a storage ring

Chapter 222 Surpassing Britain and the United States
When they expressed interest in learning more about the training program, Sun Zhiwei also became interested.

He put down his chopsticks, picked up the note on the table, glanced at it, and said, "The things written in here are actually a bit messy."

"Because I didn't know how many technologies I could provide, I simply wrote down all the conditions from my previous ideas."

"The subjects here mainly involve two professions: special forces and special agents."

Both of them knew what an agent was, but this was the first time they had ever heard the term "special forces."

"I won't explain the secrets of spies, the CIA and KGB are so famous. I also heard that Britain made a spy movie called '007'."

“I know that. I’ve seen two of them. They’re very interesting,” Director Xu said.

"The spies in movies are somewhat like what I'm talking about, but in reality they're not that exaggerated. If there were really such powerful people as those in the movies, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call them 'super spies'."

"The content in this list related to infiltration, assassination, and intelligence gathering is all used to train special agents."

"Then the other part is used to train 'special forces,' right? What exactly are 'special forces'?"

Commander An was very interested in many of the combat items inside. After hearing from Sun Zhiwei that it was prepared for a special unit, he naturally wanted to learn more about it.

"I came up with this name myself. Strictly speaking, there is no real 'special forces' in the world that I envision yet, but many countries have already developed the prototype of such a force."

"For example?" Commander An and Director Xu's minds were filled with the names of outstanding troops from various countries around the world.

"For example, the British Special Air Service (SAS), the German 9th Border Guard Brigade (GSG9), the French Gendarmerie Intervention Group (GIGN), and the Israeli Desert Boys, etc."

"These are all special forces units established by countries around the world in recent years."

"Wait a minute, the examples you gave didn't include the United States and the Soviet Union. Are you saying that neither of them has such troops now?" Commander An suddenly interjected.

"Indeed, I have found that both countries are lagging behind in the development of this new type of force."

"The closest American unit to this is the Navy SEALs, but this unit is more like our special operations company, the elite spearhead company. It's worlds apart from special forces. We haven't heard of any Soviet units yet."

"Special forces are smaller, better equipped, more elite, and more combat-effective."

"Of course, we cannot rule out another possibility: that both countries have such troops, but they have not yet made an appearance."

"What kind of missions are these 'special forces' you're talking about? Decapitation strikes?" In Commander An's opinion, our elite detachment could also handle decapitation strikes.

"Decapitation is one of them, as are assassinations, hostage rescues, protection of dignitaries, and combating terrorism. They can handle anything that ordinary troops can't."

"Director Xu, I wonder if you have any recollection of the 'Fountain of Youth' assassination operation in Israel in April of the year before last?"

"You mean that battle against the 'September' organization?"

"That's right. Intelligence shows that Israel only deployed a small team at the time, which was only a platoon."

"Yet in a very short time, they almost completely dismantled the 'September' organization. Can any of our domestic troops achieve this level of combat capability?" Sun Zhiwei looked at Regiment Commander An this time.

Commander An thought about it again and again, but in the end he shook his head in frustration.

“Going back further, there was Operation Oak during World War II in Germany.” “In September 1943, Hitler sent a group of paratroopers in 12 gliders to raid a fortress on a mountaintop and rescue Mussolini N. without casualties.”

"This was also a typical special operations operation."

"And there was also the British Operation Tank in 1942."

"At that time, Britain used an abandoned warship, loaded with explosives, to rush into the entrance of the target dock. The explosives successfully destroyed the dock, forcing the German warship to return to Germany for repairs."

"This was also a special operations operation, but because the combat personnel involved in Operation 'Tank' were too unprofessional, although they achieved their combat objectives, they suffered heavy casualties during the withdrawal. It could be said that it was half a failure."

These three examples made both Director Xu and Regiment Commander An understand what special forces were.

But this only made them more frustrated. They realized that their troops were simply not up to the task of Operation Oak and Operation Fountain of Youth.

At most, we can complete Operation Tank, and the casualties may not be much less than those of Britain at that time. But that was Britain's operation 30 years ago.

Sun Zhiwei didn't want to comfort him. We're lagging behind in many areas, so what's one more? The important thing is to be ashamed and then strive to improve.

"The special forces I'm referring to are those specialized units that would handle similar battles, specifically for this type of special operations."

"The number of people doesn't need to be large, a few dozen or at most a hundred, but their value exceeds that of a division."

"No country has a fully developed special forces system yet, but European countries have already taken action, and the US and the Soviet Union will catch up soon."

"This is a great opportunity for us to overtake the enemy by taking a shortcut. The deterrent power of such a force is far greater than that of a large army."

We've been chanting "catch up with Britain and surpass the US" for decades. Although we still can't compare overall, we have made some achievements in certain specific areas.

If we can make a difference in special forces, we might actually be able to surpass everyone else. After all, others have only made a few steps forward, and it's not too late to act now.

Perhaps it was the phrase "to catch up with and surpass Britain and the United States" that reminded them, and their spirits quickly lifted.

Losing isn't scary; what's scary is not being able to get back up after losing. It's not like we can't afford to lose.

"Zhiwei, could you write down a detailed plan for your 'special forces' operation?"

Sun Zhiwei thought about it and realized that to complete the target training, he would need to mobilize too many human resources and involve too many departments. It was impossible for him to do it on his own.

But if you integrate your own purpose into a larger goal, then it doesn't matter.

"Okay, I'll write it when I get back tonight. I need three days, since I have to train during the day."

"What are you training for? Get the important business done first." Regiment Commander An was the most anxious. This was a matter for the army, and it didn't really concern Director Xu.

Sun Zhiwei glanced at them expressionlessly before saying, "For me, completing the training is the most important thing."

Commander An then realized that the other party was not one of his soldiers, and their rank was no lower than his. He had no right to order them around.

He could only nod awkwardly, "Alright then, three days it is."

(End of this chapter)