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“Cooperation 2003”: Style, Substance, and Some Surprises
Malia K. Du Mont
On August 6th, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) launched its first multinational military exercise, named Cooperation 2003. Five of the organization’s six member nations sent troops and observers to participate in the exercise. The stated purpose of Cooperation 2003 was to improve SCO member states’ ability to coordinate against terrorism; realistic counterterrorism scenarios and joint operations in two countries made up the bulk of the exercise. The exercise also represented the first instance in the history of the People’s Republic of China in which foreign troops were invited onto Chinese soil to participate in joint maneuvers with the PLA. Cooperation 2003 was more than a mere cosmetic exercise, both in its content, scope, and its level of participation. For the first time, the participating militaries accomplished intelligence sharing, joint command, and joint action. Over 1300 troops from five countries engaged in advanced counterterrorism scenarios, under the watchful eyes of large numbers of high-ranking observers. The scenarios themselves were complex, and took place on both sides of the Kazakh-Chinese border, necessitating a fairly high degree of coordination between the member states.
