Key Facts
- ✓ China launched the 'Justice Mission-2025' military exercise around Taiwan.
- ✓ The drills involve the army, navy, air, and rocket forces focusing on air superiority and isolation.
- ✓ Taiwan detected 14 Chinese navy warships and 89 aircraft near the island.
- ✓ The PLA released an AI-generated video showcasing future uncrewed systems and humanoid drones.
Quick Summary
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) has commenced a large-scale military exercise titled Justice Mission-2025 surrounding Taiwan. The operation is designed to serve as a stern warning and practice for potential conflict scenarios. The drills mobilize integrated forces from the army, navy, air, and rocket forces to test combat readiness.
Key objectives of the exercise include seizing control of the skies, isolating the island, and combating potential foreign interference. The operation features live-fire activities against mock targets in five designated zones. Alongside current military capabilities, China released an AI-generated video showcasing future ambitions for uncrewed systems and advanced warfare technologies.
Operation Justice Mission-2025
The Eastern Theater Command initiated the Justice Mission-2025 exercise on Monday, describing it as a stern warning to Taiwan. The operation represents the latest large-scale drill aimed at preparing the PLA for combined arms action. The primary goals include bringing combined arms to bear against Taiwan, seizing control of the skies, isolating the island, and combating foreign interference.
China mobilized its army, navy, air, and rocket forces for the drills. The focus is on combat readiness in both sea and air domains. Specific tactical objectives include:
- Blocking off key ports and areas
- Establishing all-dimensional deterrence outside the island chain
- Testing joint operations capabilities across multiple services
The exercises are designed to simulate how China might conduct a real fight, utilizing current forces in a coordinated attack.
"With vessels and aircraft approaching Taiwan Island in close proximity from different directions, troops of multiple services engage in joint assaults to test their joint operations capabilities."
— Eastern Theater Command Spokesperson
Tactical Focus and Coordination
The military exercises are divided into specific zones around the island to test different tactical capabilities. On the southeast side, China's military is using bombers and anti-ship missiles against simulated maritime targets. This action is intended to clear the way for the navy's amphibious assault ships. The command emphasized an emphasis on eliminating targets at maximum range to cut risk and keep hostile forces at a distance.
To the north and southwest of Taiwan, the PLA is practicing coordinated seizure and dominance. This involves destroyers, frigates, fighters, bombers, and drones working in tandem with long-range rocket forces. The training is entirely simulated and includes live-fire activities against mock targets scheduled for Tuesday across five maritime and airspace zones. A command spokesperson stated, "With vessels and aircraft approaching Taiwan Island in close proximity from different directions, troops of multiple services engage in joint assaults to test their joint operations capabilities."
Taiwan's Defense Response
Taiwan's Ministry of Defense is closely monitoring the situation. On Monday afternoon, the ministry reported detecting significant Chinese military presence around Taiwan and its outlying islands. The detected assets included 14 Chinese navy warships and 14 coast guard vessels.
In addition to naval assets, Taiwan detected 89 aircraft in the area. These included J-10 and J-16 fighters, JH-7 fighter-bombers, and KJ-500 early warning and control planes. Despite the heavy presence, the ministry confirmed that none of the ships or planes violated Taiwan's territorial airspace or waters during the initial reporting period.
Future Warfare Ambitions
Beyond current operational testing, the PLA released an artificial intelligence-made short video on Monday depicting a potential Taiwan conflict. The video, titled Joint Operations to Thwart 'Taiwan Independence' Attempts, offers a glimpse into China's desired future warfare capabilities. It features various animals transforming into military assets, such as eagles and bees becoming uncrewed aerial vehicles, sea creatures turning into warships, and wolves becoming uncrewed ground robots.
The propaganda video also featured a pack of humanoid drones carrying rifles walking through a war-torn city. While the video includes technology not known to exist, it suggests China is aiming for an integrated approach using a range of uncrewed systems and advanced capabilities. This aligns with the current drills' emphasis on combining assets like submarines, warships, and aircraft for effective combined arms warfare.
