China’s gray war tactics seriously affect Taiwan’s security: MND report

As of October 5, Chinese military planes had flown 600 sorties into Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone since the beginning of the year, up from a total of 380 in 2020, the Ministry of National Defense told lawmakers in Taiwan’s parliamentary body, the Legislative Yuan, yesterday.

The MND revealed the information in a report ahead of deliberations today, October 6, by the Legislative Yuan’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee on a draft sea and air combat power enhancement special procurement bill.

Director of the Ministry of National Defense Department of Strategic Planning Lee Shih-Chiang stated in the Report that the CCP’s military preparations are focused on attacking Taiwan.

In recent years, the People’s Republic of China has continuously expanded its military activities and adopted gray zone operations in an attempt to deplete Taiwan’s naval and air combat capabilities.

In 2020, the People’s Liberation Army Air Force flew more than 380 sorties into the Southwest portion of Taiwan’s ADIZ, and by early October this year more than 600 sorties had been flown. These targeted military provocations have seriously affected our air defense security, Lee said.

China has been implementing gray zone warfare since early to mid 2020, flying military sorties into airspace on the Taiwan side of the center of the Taiwan Strait on an almost daily basis, and involving a larger and larger number of aircraft on any given day.

Taiwan’s defense forces must respond to these incursions with missile tracking systems engaged, and jets scrambled to monitor and warn away offending aircraft. There are monetary costs; and also costs in terms of equipment and personnel fatigue.

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