Approximately 40 military jets from the Chinese air force went into Taiwan’s air defense identification region, marking the largest platoon of aircraft to do so since an attack in October.
39 Chinese warplanes just flew into Taiwan's air defense zone and Taiwan scrambled fighter jets in response https://t.co/CDAyqAdLKU
— Not the Bee (@Not_the_Bee) January 24, 2022
The cohort of 39 aircraft that took part in the incursion included 24 J-16 fighter jets, 10 J-10 fighter jets, two Y-9 cargo planes, two Y-8 anti-submarine alert planes, and one nuclear-capable H-6 bomber.
This is per the country’s Ministry of National Defense, which announced the occurrence on Sunday.
Territories and Intrusions
The Taiwanese military responded by issuing radio alerts and deploying its air defense weapons system to keep an eye on the crisis on the ground.
Chinese authorities argue that Taiwan is a portion of the mainland, although Taiwanese citizens consider themselves to be a sovereign country in their own right.
The United States has given Taiwan assistance in the case of a Chinese assault; although the connection has remained informal since the United States established formal ties with China.
Over the past few years, the Chinese Communist Party has used extreme military methods to demonstrate to the public its willingness to use force in protests.
In October, the Chinese armed forces dispatched 56 helicopters to intrude towards Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ).
This marks the highest number of same-day intrusions in a campaign that resulted in roughly 150 such incidents over the course of four days. A month later, there was a similar occurrence with around half the number of planes involved.
Although the attack happened a day after the United States and Japanese navies joined forces in the Philippine Sea, this time, it was more serious.
Two United States Navy aviation destroyers, two United States amphibious assault ships, two United States guided-missile cannons, five destroyers, and a Japanese helicopter destroyer took part in the exercise, according to the CNN news network.
“This is true freedom at its finest! It only takes two carrier strike groups and two Amphibious Ready Groups to reaffirm the commitment to a Free and Open Indo-Pacific. They will be sailing alongside our close allies from the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force.”
Vice Adm. Karl Thomas, commanding officer of the United States 7th Fleet, based in Japan, announced this via Twitter.
A Pacing Threat
The Pentagon has consistently labeled China as the pacing threat to the United States military; meanwhile, the Pentagon is also preparing for a possible battle with the antagonistic nation.
'China is progressing and represents a pacing challenge for us': US Space Force chief https://t.co/xKfUkyX8Im
— Republic (@republic) January 20, 2022
Last month, Assistant Secretary of Defense Ely Ratner (who is in charge of the Pentagon’s Indo-Pacific strategy) testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Ratner’s testimony stated, “the PRC is the Bureau of Defense’s pacing problem, and a Taiwan contingency” is the agency’s pacing scenario.
To do so, they are upgrading their abilities, revising the United States’ military posture, and establishing new operational ideas.
