Forbes
Date: Aug 27, 2020
By: David AxeContributor
The Chinese navy finally is mobilizing for its much-ballyhooed naval war game in the South China Sea. A war game that could include both of the fleet’s aircraft carriers and might, among other scenarios, simulate an amphibious assault on a Taiwanese island outpost.
Taiwan for months has been preparing for the exercise. The Taiwanese marine corps sent reinforcements to a strategic island group. The Taiwanese air force began loading live Harpoon anti-ship missiles on some of its F-16 fighters. Now F-16s are staging at one island outpost while a contingent of naval drones has arrived at another island base.
The motivation behind Taipei’s response is obvious. A Chinese war game could, in an instant, turn into an actual invasion of Taiwan. And even if it doesn’t, the upcoming concentration of Chinese forces represents a rare opportunity for Taiwanese intelligence to register Chinese ships and their capabilities. [FULL STORY]