Operation Joint Sword – Update

Saturday: surround the island. Sunday: realistic mock battle.  What will they do today?

The Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army on Saturday launched combat readiness patrol and military exercises around the Taiwan Island, which were scheduled to run through Monday. The patrols and exercises are taking place in the maritime areas and airspace of the Taiwan Straits, off the northern and southern coasts of the island, and to the island’s east.

BEIJING, April 8 — Senior Colonel Shi Yi, spokesperson for the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), said on Saturday that the PLA Eastern Theater Command launched combat readiness security patrol encircling the Taiwan Island and carried out “Joint Sword” exercise, which will last from April 8 to 10 Beijing time as scheduled.

This is a stern warning to the provocative activities of “Taiwan independence” secessionist forces and their collusion with external forces, and a necessary move to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, noted the spokesperson.

It may be a warning to Taiwan, but it is a major warning to the US and is an illustration of battle readiness.

At the same time The Southern Theater Command of the PLA tracked and monitored the guided-missile destroyer USS Milius, which at some point, were only 200 kilometers (may be nautical miles) away from the Chinese aircraft carrier, involved in Joint Sword.

Zhao Xiaozhuo, a research fellow at China’s Academy of Military Sciences, told the Global Times that the Joint Sword exercise is a large-scale, all-element drill featuring all military services and branches under a joint combat system.  The Joint Sword exercise is highly combat-oriented, with all weapons being live and radars turned on.  The goal of the drill is to seize control of information, including conducting electronic suppressions on the radar and anti-missile bases on the island of Taiwan, Zhao said.

It is clear, this is not a paintball war game drill but as authentic as it can be.  From the Russian side, as well as from the Chinese side the message is clear to the West and NATO.  You wanna fight?  Bring it on!   There are hot winds around this cold war.

🇨🇳⚔️🇺🇸
Saturday drills: seizing control of sea, air and information
Sundasy drills: PLA trained launching strikes on land targets.
PLA Eastern Theater Command conducted joint precision strike simulations on the island of Taiwan on Sun, the second day of its island encirclement pic.twitter.com/cMJKIjoWW3

— Ares, Information Service (@Aresinfoservice) April 10, 2023

The mock battle is over.  The Chinese people are in a Bring It On! frame of mind.