The PLA is practicing guerrilla tactics such as "three seas converging to jointly encircle Taiwan Island" in the Taiwan Strait! In the future, the "shock mode" towards Taiwan will become the norm.
The "Strait Thunder - 2025A" military exercise launched by the Eastern Theater Command of the PLA on April 2 has drawn much attention, especially the new tactics of the Shandong aircraft carrier strike group have caused widespread concern. Military and defense technology observer Cai Yuanhong posted an article pointing out that from the movement actions of the Shandong aircraft carrier strike group, it can be seen that the PLA has shifted from traditional formation operations to a guerrilla-like "dispersed attack" model, which greatly enhances operational efficiency and deterrence in actual combat.
Cai Yuanhong pointed out that in recent years, the situation across the Taiwan Strait has become increasingly tense, and the Chinese mainland's military has continuously introduced innovations in maritime exercises, demonstrating strong flexibility and concealment. Previously, the PLA aircraft carrier strike groups usually followed fixed routes, generally entering the western Pacific via the Bashi Channel, and returning close to the southeast contingency area. However, in this 2025A exercise, the Shandong aircraft carrier took an unconventional path, adopting a strategic route from south to north along the eastern coast of the Philippines, directly entering the southeast contingency area. This unconventional move highlights the innovation in the PLA's maritime combat concepts. While ensuring overall operational coordination, it cleverly employs the means of "dispersing forces," flexibly deploying troops. In this way, it can effectively avoid enemy intelligence gathering and monitoring, and at critical moments, quickly assemble to form local advantages for precise strikes.
Cai Yuanhong analyzed that based on the traditional guerrilla warfare ideology of the army, the PLA Navy successfully verified the feasibility of integrating guerrilla elements into mobile warfare during this exercise. This method of operation has many significant characteristics:
Firstly, flexible dispersion and reorganization. The "dispersed attack" model greatly reduces the risk of being collectively targeted by the enemy while making it difficult for the enemy to predict the overall trajectory through conventional judgment.
Secondly, multi-stage tactical role conversion. This model fully embodies the modern joint combat concept, enabling operational units to both deter and rapidly counterattack in complex and changing battlefield environments, greatly enhancing the flexibility and adaptability of operations.
Thirdly, covert maneuvering and breakthroughs. By employing distributed attacks, the entire strike group effectively avoids intelligence surveillance by countries like the U.S. and the Philippines. The dispersed naval forces can quickly assemble according to the situation, instantly forming local advantages, breaking through enemy blockades, and achieving unexpected attack effects, leaving the enemy unprepared.
Cai Yuanhong judged that modern joint operations emphasize cross-domain coordination. This tactic applied to maritime forces is also applicable to air power. Implementing flexible and efficient movement tactics in the air further enriches the connotation of joint operations, making the execution of sea-air joint operations more refined. Various domain combat forces cooperate with each other, forming a powerful combat synergy.
Cai Yuanhong believes that the "Strait Thunder - 2025A" military exercise not only successfully verified the feasibility of the mainland applying "dispersed attack" (also known as "three seas converging to jointly encircle Taiwan Island") guerrilla tactics at sea but also sent important strategic signals to the international community:
On one hand, enhancing deterrence and operational flexibility. Through flexible and varied methods of operation, the mainland effectively compresses the enemy's response time in a strategic sense, greatly enhancing overall deterrence, making it difficult for opponents to understand the patterns of action.
On the other hand, creating a new model of cross-domain joint operations. In the future, if both maritime and air units adopt the "dispersed attack" tactical model, it will make the entire joint operation system more flexible and respond more swiftly.
Cai Yuanhong stated that with the continuous innovation of strategy and tactics, the "shock mode" towards Taiwan is likely to become the norm in the future. This indicates that in the face of the PLA's powerful and continuously innovative tactical system, the resistance of "Taiwan independence" forces will be futile.
Finally, Cai Yuanhong concluded that in the "Strait Thunder - 2025A" exercise, the mainland successfully verified the feasibility and effectiveness of introducing guerrilla tactics into cross-domain joint operations through the movement operations of the Shandong aircraft carrier strike group. This innovative model completely changes traditional combat thinking, demonstrating astonishing flexibility and powerful lethality in actual combat, providing even stronger protection for national sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Eastern Theater Command exercises around Taiwan Island
Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1828302180517060/
Disclaimer: The article solely represents the author's views.