Military Affairs

New warship a milestone in domestic naval shipbuilding: named after Taiwan’s tallest mountain

President Tsai Ing-wen and officials at ship launch ceremony
Military Affairs 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment

President Tsai Ing-wen presided over the naming ceremony and launch of the navy’s first amphibious dock transport ship today, saying that the ship marks a milestone in domestic naval shipbuilding. The “Yushan,” named after Taiwan’s tallest mountain, Mt Jade, symbolizes the spirit of the national military who are not afraid of challenges, the president said. Built by Taiwan International Shipbuilding (CSBC Corporation TWSE: 2208 ), the 10,600-tonne No.1401, ROCN Yushan is designed to meet operational requirements for amphibious assault, and personnel

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An intense day of Chinese-US military maneuvers around Taiwan

USS Theodore exercises in the South China Sea
Military Affairs 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , ,

US and Chinese military activity around Taiwan intensified April 7, with a US aircraft carrier group exercising in the South China Sea, a Chinese aircraft carrier group operating in waters east of Taiwan, a US destroyer transiting the Taiwan Strait, and Taiwan fighters scrambled against 15 Chinese aircraft entering Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ). The Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning, accompanied by a type 055 destroyer, two type 052 destroyers, a type 054 frigate, and a supply ship sailed though

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One fighter pilot dead, one missing after mid-air collision over ocean

location of missing pilots, search area
Military Affairs 
Phillip Charlier 1 Comment ,

One pilot has been declared dead after being airlifted from the sea, and one is still missing after two F-5E fighters collided while flying off the coast of Pingtung County this afternoon, March 22. According to the Ministry of National Defense (MND), four F-5E fighters of the 7th Flight Training Wing took off from Taitung Airbase at 2:30 pm on a routine training mission. At 3:06 pm two of the jets disappeared from radar screens around 2.6 kilometers from the

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Special Ops forces practice urban warfare drills on 505 kilometer long march

troops in urban combat operations
Military Affairs 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

Army Special Operations Command is currently conducting urban tactical exercises in northern Taiwan as part of a 21-day, 505-kilometer tactical mission march training that began on March 9. Special warfare officers and troops in full combat gear, and armed with T91 rifles and machine guns were seen around Tamsui Zhuwei MRT station, and along the Tamsui Riverside bike way this morning, March 13. ROC Army Aviation and Special Forces Command said that this is part of an annual routine tactical

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Australian air force plane spotted operating over East China Sea

Royal Australian Air Force P-8A Poseidon
Military Affairs 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

A Royal Australian Air Force P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft was operating in airspace over the East China Sea today, according to a Chinese think tank that monitors aircraft movements in the area. China’s semi-official South China Sea Probing Initiative (SCSPI) posted a map of the aircraft’s flight trajectory on Twitter today, observing that is was “unusual to see an Australian P-8A operating over the East China Sea.” The Australian Department of Defense (DoD) announced the aircraft’s deployment in the

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Military drone crash lands in Taitung City park

crashed Teng Yun unmanned combat aerial vehicle
Military Affairs 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , , ,

A military unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) crash landed in Taitung Forest Park this evening, and the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) says the cause of the crash was an error in the flight control system. The UCAV took off from the Chih-hang Air Force Base this afternoon on a test flight, and landed in a forested section of Taitung Forest Park at 6:33 pm, according to reports. There were no casualties, but contact with trees caused

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Japan to strengthen defense logistics in southwest islands as territorial tensions rise

Japan amphibious rapid deployment Brigade and US Marines
Military Affairs 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

Japan plans to add three transport ships to support troops deployed on remote southwestern islands in response to increasing incursions by the China Coast Guard, and a new law passed in China authorizing the coast guard to use lethal force against foreign ships. Voice of America (VOA) Chinese language service reported that Japan’s government will equip the Ground Self-Defense Force (GDSF) with three ships for logistics support. It is the first time the GDSF has been provided with its own

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Two US Aircraft Carrier Strike groups operating in the South China Sea

Aircraft assigned to Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 17 fly over the Theodore Roosevelt and Nimitz Carrier Strike Groups in the South China Sea, Feb. 9. (U.S. Navy/MCSN Deirdre Marsac)
Military Affairs 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment ,

Two US carrier strike groups are conducting joint operations in the South China Sea today, Tuesday, February 9, the US Navy announced. The Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group and the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group are conducting “coordinated operations in a highly trafficked area to demonstrate the U.S. Navy’s ability to operate in challenging environments,”  USS Theodore Roosevelt Public Affairs reported. “Training with Carrier Strike Group 11 in the South China Sea is a tremendously valuable opportunity,” said Rear Adm. Doug

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US Navy destroyer transits Taiwan Strait, and another, more advanced ship of the same class added to western Pacific fleet

USS John S McCain
Military Affairs 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

The US Navy’s guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain made a transit of the Taiwan Strait, drawing angry remarks from the People’s Republic of China, and another newer, more advanced ship of the same class was added to the US Navy’s 7th Fleet, yesterday, Thursday, February 4. The transit of the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS John S. McCain (DDG 56) marked the first passage through the Taiwan Strait by a US Navy vessel since President Joe Biden assumed office, January

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China launches third 075 class amphibious assault ship: could be used for military invasion of Taiwan

Type 075 amphibious assault ship
Military Affairs 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

The People’s Republic of China launched its third 075 class amphibious assault ship today, January 29, and the ships may be part of a plan to eventually carry out a military assault on Taiwan, according to some sources. Beijing’s communist mouthpiece Global Times reported today that the third 075 amphibious assault ship was launched from the Hudong-Zhonghua Shipyard in Shanghai, noting that the three warships launched so far were manufactured at “an astonishing speed.” “The country has cleared technical difficulties

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US Aircraft Carrier group entered the South China Sea same day as Chinese military sent 13 aircraft into Taiwan ADIZ

USS Theodore Roosevelt Pacific Ocean
Military Affairs 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

The US Navy announced today that the USS Theodore Roosevelt entered the South China Sea yesterday, the same day that Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) said that jets had been scrambled in response to incursions into Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) by 13 Chinese military planes. US Indo-Pacific Command said today, Sunday, January 24, that the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group (TRCSG) entered the South China Sea, January 23, to conduct “routine operations.” “The TRCSG is on a

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