Military Affairs

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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Declassified US Indo-Pacific security framework document shows commitment to defense of Taiwan

Strategic Framework for the Indo-Pacific
Military Affairs 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , ,

The surprise declassification of the U.S. Strategic Framework for the Indo-Pacific has revealed that the current US national defense policy for the Asia-Pacific region includes a commitment to developing a defense strategy capable of denying China air and sea dominance inside the “first island chain,” and “defending the first-island-chain nations, including Taiwan.” The previously classified “secret” and “not for foreign nationals” document was developed in 2017, and has guided the Trump administration since 2018. The document was officially declassified last

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US guided-missile submarine, F-35B stealth fighters currently deployed in Western Pacific

USS Ohio in Guam
Military Affairs 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment ,

The Ohio-class nuclear-powered submarine USS Ohio (SSGN 726) arrived in Guam January 4, to conduct surveillance, training, and other critical missions in the US 7th Fleet area of operations, according to information published by the US Navy’s Submarine Force Pacific, yesterday, January 11. The US military rarely discloses the location or movements of its nuclear submarine fleet, and the information released is being interpreted as a message of deterrence, according to Taiwan media outlets, including China Times, and Liberty Times.

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Defense ministry sends out new year message, video: advancing bravely into 2021

Ministry of National Defense picture
Military Affairs 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment ,

As 2020 comes to an end, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) released a video on Facebook, along with a press release, assuring the public that the three branches of the military will bravely advance into 2021, and continue to build a solid combat strength in the face of the “severe regional situation.” The message posted to the MND @MilitarySpokesman Facebook page noted that while 2020 has been a difficult year for many, the harder the times, the stronger the

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Taiwan east coast residents treated to spectacular Christmas light show in the form of missile tests

missile fired in Taitung County Taiwan, Christmas Day, 2020
Military Affairs 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , ,

On Christmas Eve, and the evening of Christmas day, National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) test fired missiles from Taitung County, and Pingtung County, in what experts believe was an anti-missile intercept test. At 8:00 pm this evening, December 25, a missile blasted into the sky in Chenggong Township, Taitung County, providing a loud, spectacular light display until it disappeared around 20 seconds later. While the Ministry of National Defense (MND) and NCSIST stayed mum on the issue

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Navy accelerates production of “carrier killer” corvettes in response to communist military threats

ROC Navy Tuo Chiang class stealth missile corvette
Military Affairs 
Phillip Charlier 2 Comments ,

Taiwan’s ROC Navy is ramping up production of Tuo-chiang class corvettes, and the missiles to arm them, in response to “the communist military threat to Taiwan,” Liberty Times reported today, December 25. The navy originally planned to take delivery of three of the ships by 2025, but now wants six of the “carrier killers” delivered by 2023. Alongside the accelerated production of the ships, the military is coordinating with the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology to also ramp

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PLA Navy, Air Force “expels trespassing” US Navy ship in the South China Sea

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

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) announced that it had deployed naval and air forces to expel an American guided-missile destroyer that had “trespassed” into Chinese territory near the Spratly Islands today, December 22. PLA Air Force Colonel Tian Kai-jun, spokesperson for the Southern Theater of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army made the announcement on Chinese social media site WeChat this afternoon. Tian wrote that the USS John S. McCain had trespassed into waters adjacent to China’s Nansha Islands and

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Salvage operation for crashed F-16 suspended until April-May 2021

Military Affairs 
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Air Force Command announced today that salvage operations for an F-16 that crashed off the coast of Hualien County will be suspended until April and May next year, due to poor weather and ocean conditions. The aircraft, carrying one pilot, went down around 13 kilometers northeast of Hualien City on November 17. See previous story: F-16 missing, suspected crashed off east coast of Taiwan The statement said that the location of the downed aircraft had been effectively calibrated after 56

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Stray bullet that hit hiker probably came from sea exercises

Military Affairs 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment ,

An investigation into an accidental shooting has found that a .50 caliber machine gun bullet found at the scene most likely came from a marine exercise in waters near Chai Mountain last Friday. See previous story: Hiker suspected shot by stray bullet from military firing range A 66-year-old man named Chen was shot in the ankle while hiking on Chai Mountain in Kaohsiung City December 11. Investigators at first believed that the bullet came from a nearby military shooting range.

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F-16 missing, suspected crashed off east coast of Taiwan

F-16
Military Affairs 
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An ROCAF F-16 fighter plane is suspected to have crashed at sea, after disappearing from radar screens northeast of Hualien Airport at 6:07 pm this evening, according to the Ministry of National Defense (MND). The aircraft took off from Hualien Airbase for a night time training mission at 6:05 pm, the MND report said. The aircraft disappeared from radar screens around 13 kilometers northeast of Hualien Harbor around two minutes after take off. Air and surface search crews have been

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Pilot dies after fighter jet crashes off east coast

F-5E fighter, ROC Air Force, Taiwan
Military Affairs 
Phillip Charlier 1 Comment , ,

The pilot of an F-5E fighter jet died after ejecting from the plane off the coast of Taitung County this morning, October 29. The F-5E single-seat fighter of the Air Force Seventh Wing crashed into the sea shortly after taking off from the Taitung Chihhang Air Force Base at 7:30 am on a regular training mission. The pilot, Captain Chu Kuan-meng (朱冠甍) reported engine failure two minutes after take off, and ejected from the aircraft over the ocean. An Air

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