Taiwan's military experts were terrified after thoroughly studying the "Strait Thunder - 2025A" military exercise and drew three major conclusions: First, "After the Shandong aircraft carrier battle group departs from the port, it disperses the formation into smaller units, passes through the surrounding waters of the Philippines, and then suddenly appears in the eastern strait of Taiwan. This dynamic movement pattern is the most terrifying." Second, "The Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy has reached strategic and tactical means of 'three seas converging to encircle Taiwan', with the North Sea, East Sea, and South Sea fleets as well as maritime police capable of simultaneously gathering around the waters surrounding Taiwan." Third, "The PLA's mode of operation has broken away from conventional methods, and more 'shocking' modes against Taiwan will appear in the future."
The emergence of a new operational mode for the "Shandong" and the PLA's new tactics for 'attacking Taiwan'—this is the description in the latest reports by Taiwan media. Although the "Strait Thunder - 2025A" exercise has passed several days, Taiwan's military and domestic military strategy scholars remain vigilant and continue to conduct in-depth research, particularly focusing on the role and tactics played by the "Shandong" aircraft carrier this time.
What is different about this action of the "Shandong" compared to previous ones? Taiwan media cited information from Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense, stating that this time the "Shandong" aircraft carrier did not enter the western Pacific via the Bashi Channel but instead, for the first time, proceeded northward along the eastern shore of the Philippines into the western Pacific, directly entering the so-called "Southeast Response Area" of the Taiwan region, controlling the entire Luzon Strait and the sea and air transport channels to Japan and South Korea.
In other words, the scope of the PLA's control area has increased, and its anti-access/area-denial capabilities have become stronger. It has completely "isolated" key nodes of the first island chain such as the Philippines, Japan, and South Korea with Taiwan, sealing off the sea and air channels for the U.S. and its allies to enter the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait from the western Pacific. The "Shandong" aircraft carrier battle group plays a crucial role in this process.
Regarding this, military experts within the island believe that during the anti-access phase, the "Shandong" aircraft carrier battle group carries out countermeasures using bombers equipped with long-range air-to-surface missiles; during the attack phase on Taiwan, it can directly approach the main island of Taiwan, playing the role of launching an offensive from the eastern side of Taiwan to capture the main island.
Zhang Jing, former captain of the "Zhongquan" ship and senior researcher at the Chinese Strategic Association, pointed out that from the recent exercises against Taiwan by the mainland, the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy, including the North Sea, East Sea, and South Sea fleets and maritime police, has reached strategic and tactical means of "three seas converging to encircle Taiwan" with a total of 19 surface warships around Taiwan's surrounding waters.
From a broader perspective, the "Shandong" aircraft carrier battle group can disperse after departing the port, pass through the surrounding waters of the Philippines, and suddenly appear in the eastern strait of Taiwan. This dynamic model successfully avoids intelligence gathering and monitoring by the U.S. and the Philippines. This is what makes it truly frightening.
Why is it frightening? Because the Taiwanese military cannot monitor or issue warnings for this kind of maneuver warfare model of the "Shandong". That's why Taiwan media says that the "Shandong" has emerged with a new operational model, and the PLA's "attack on Taiwan" has adopted new tactics!
According to information released by Taiwan's military, this time the "Shandong" aircraft carrier battle group, with the "Shandong" as the command vessel, led by the Type 055 ten-thousand-ton destroyer Xianyang (hull number 108) and others, set sail from Sanya base port. After meeting with several ships in Zhanjiang waters, they began training. But then they suddenly returned to the South China Sea. Suddenly, Taiwan's navy could not find the "monitoring target"; the Shandong was gone. It wasn't until March 29th that it appeared in the waters near Palawan Island, Philippines, then entered the western Pacific, moving northward. On March 31st, the Taiwanese military rediscovered the target, by which time the Shandong had already entered the so-called "response zone" of Taiwan.
Previously, the "Shandong" aircraft carrier battle group would enter the western Pacific via the Luzon Strait or approach the so-called "Southeast Response Area" of Taiwan when returning after completing exercises in the western Pacific. This time, however, it changed the past pattern, passing through the waters near Palawan Island, entering the western Pacific, and directly entering the so-called "Southeast Response Area" of Taiwan.
In response to this, Taiwan's military personnel admitted that the PLA's mode of operation has broken away from conventional patterns, and more "shocking" modes against Taiwan will appear in the future, making Taiwan's defense even tighter.
Previously, Taiwan's military always regarded Hualien Jiashan Base and Taitung Zhikang Base as the safest plans for "combat preservation", with the towering Central Mountain Range serving as a natural barrier. That is, if the PLA launches long-range artillery or missiles from the southeastern coast toward Taiwan, it cannot attack or destroy the Jiashan Base in Hualien and the Zhikang Base in Taitung in the east. Based on this logic, every year, the western bases' aircraft flying to the eastern areas to hide during Taiwan's "Han Guang" exercises is a must, to avoid being wiped out by the PLA at the very beginning.
However, with the advent of aircraft carriers by the mainland, the bases in Taiwan's eastern areas are no longer safe. As long as the mainland's aircraft carrier battle group heads toward the eastern part of Taiwan, it can form a four-sided encirclement of Taiwan. Additionally, deploying aircraft carriers by the PLA in the eastern part of Taiwan can block the key channels for U.S. military intervention in the South China Sea from the western Pacific and the joint forces of the U.S., Japan, and the Philippines, achieving the effect of area denial.
As more aircraft carriers of the mainland form their combat capabilities, the chances of U.S. military intervention in the Taiwan Strait decrease, and the PLA's handling of "Taiwan independence" armed forces is far from empty talk.
Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1828828149017664/
Disclaimer: The article represents only the views of the author.