Exercises and step ups. Thus, the US and China “spy” on each other

Show of Chinese military strength, presented by the start of a series of fireworks exercises, raised by the visit to Taiwan From the Speaker of Parliament Nancy Pelosi It continues last week although Beijing announced that the exercises would stop on the morning of Monday, August 8.

Still in the afternoon of August 8, at 5 pm local time, the Ministry of Defense in Taipei announced that 13 Chinese naval units and 39 PLAF aircraft (People’s Liberation Army Air Force(Air Defense Identification Area) that did not occur before this crisis, with the exception of the 1995/1996 crisis.

many of air assets The Chinese involved in these incursions: Su-30, J-10, J-11, Jh-7, J-16, and H-6 fighters, as well as Ka-28 Asw helicopters (submarine warfare) and a Y-8 quadcopter in a naval and electronic warfare version. UAVs are also involved (unmanned aerial vehicle), which both sides used to monitor the other’s activity in the seas.

13 PLAN ships and 39 PLA aircraft have been detected around us today (August 8, 2022) until 1700 (GMT +8). #ROCAarmedForces They monitored the situation and response to these activities with CAP aircraft, naval ships and ground-based missile systems. pic.twitter.com/4KpyfDz0hx

– 國防部 Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of China (MoNDefense) August 8, 2022

Report also several Naval units The Chinese Navy operating mainly in the eastern waters of Taiwan and in the straits, closely followed by the Taipei Navy and followed by the US Navy, which includes in the area the attack group (Carrier Strike Group – Csg) for the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan.

It is not yet clear where the new Chinese exercises will take place, but Taipei has announced that it will carry out fire exercises in the southern and eastern maritime sector, in roughly the same areas affected as those conducted by Beijing last week.

China’s comprehensive show of force: Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense also announced last week that there are 272 IT actions On the other hand, it aims to confuse and confuse public opinion.

What is happening now is a rehearsal for the invasion of Taiwan: air raids, ballistic missile launches, and naval equipment deployments simulate the preparatory phase of an amphibious operation. As we have already had the opportunity to show you, in fact, an air and sea blockade of the island and a massive missile attack combined with a heavy cyber attack would be preparations for an invasion.

The United States has also mobilized its permanent air assets in the region: we know those planes RC-135S “Cobra Bull” To collect data related to Chinese missile launches and, in all likelihood, maintain near-continuous coverage of Chinese asset tracking using E-3 “Ranger” Stationed at the air base Cadenaon the Japanese island of Okinawa, without thinking that the fighters embarked on Ronald Reagan or the F-22s that likely accompanied Pelosi’s flight.

So troop deployments are carefully monitored from both sides: aircraft like the Chinese Y-8 are used to spot allied submarines, which are certainly in the maneuvering area, and to collect data in the release electronic warfare (Ew). Even just the observation activity “on the horizon”, the interception of the aircraft, is very important for gathering information on the relative adversary: ​​it is practice, in fact, to collect detailed images of the intercepted aircraft for delivery to analysts to discover equipment and other useful features to determine the capabilities of the aircraft.

It’s unclear where China is conducting extensive exercises, according to the Eastern Theater Command’s new announcement, but Taiwan also has some ongoing live-fire activity. pic.twitter.com/IzAx79oz4W

– Duandang (@duandang) August 8, 2022

Precisely for this reason, in history, Wrong directions were made: The US Air Force sometimes manufactured mock Ew capsules which were then fitted under the wings of F-15 fighters taking off to intercept Soviet long-range bombers or naval patrol ships. Therefore, it cannot be excluded that similar possibilities remain recurring, given the level of escalation reached in the Western Pacific.

We know little, in general, about what is happening in the seas around Taiwan but above all in the depths of the sea, where underwater units certainly participate in a game of chasing each other which leads not only to move to a useful location a possible surprise attack, but also to collect valuable data On enemy naval units and combat tactics: Being able to penetrate an opponent’s protective canopy undetected means being able to identify a flaw in the system for use in the event of an attack.

Similarly, in aviation, you repeat them a lot ADEZ invades, experiencing an unprecedented frenzy, is testing the reaction of opposing air defenses, but the large number of sorties also have a double function, that of putting pressure on the opponent causing the erosion of men and vehicles. Moreover, as we were able to say in the context of other similar provocations, the Chinese tactic is a tactic Taiwan defenses back to new levels of tension, even surprising them in the event of a real attack. The crossing of the midfield is defined precisely in this sense: it is a small raising of the tension bar that does not in itself cause an armed escalation towards the conflict, but serves Create a new one the current situation different from its predecessor.

It is, in a sense, a well-defined policy that China uses to obtain results in the political sphere: it is called “slicing of salami” (cutting salami), has been introduced for years in South China Sea In order to arrive, “in small parts,” the ultimate foreign policy objective of obtaining sovereignty over that contested area of ​​water. Also for this reason, it is important for the United States to carefully study the Chinese maneuvers, as they represent a new maneuver the current situation On the Taiwan issue, while the Chinese side is studying the political reaction more, given the fact that the US military reactions have been known for some time, Washington always activates its armed forces in the same way.

So China has Tactical advantage It is not indifferent because it always operates in a different, scalable and unpredictable way: a factor that the Pentagon must take into account in order to be able to effectively combat the Chinese military presence.