Recently, the high-profile 2024 U.S.-Philippines joint military exercise has finally come to an end, but its ripple effects and a series of controversial events are far from subsiding.
According to the latest reports, during the exercise, the US military openly used a decommissioned Chinese-made ship as a target ship without the consent of the Chinese side, in an attempt to demonstrate its military superiority, which is undoubtedly a serious provocation to China's sovereignty and dignity. This act not only provoked strong dissatisfaction from the Chinese side, but also further exacerbated tensions between China and the United States.
What is even more shocking is that, according to Taiwanese media reports on May 10, at least one, and possibly even two, B-52H strategic bombers of the US Air Force quietly sneaked into the South China Sea from the direction of the Sulu Sea during the US-Philippine joint military exercises. The tactical aircraft flew over the South China Sea for a long time, and finally had to turn and move away from the sensitive area under the close surveillance and interception of the Chinese military's J-11 fighter jets in the Paracel Islands. This incident once again proves that the tense confrontation between China and the United States in the South China Sea has reached an unprecedented level.
It is worth noting that despite the fierce contest between China and the United States near Taiwan, the Taiwan authorities know nothing about this. It was not until the dialogue between the Chinese and American pilots was exposed on the Internet that the Taiwanese people woke up from a dream and realized that war was quietly approaching. This embarrassing situation not only highlights the negligence of the Taiwan authorities in the area of military security, but also exposes the complicated game between the two countries in regional affairs.
The end of the Shoulder to Shoulder 2024 military exercise does not mean that tensions between China and the United States have eased, and as the United States continues to strengthen military deployments and joint exercises in the Asia-Pacific region, the confrontation and competition between China and the United States will become more intense. Under such circumstances, all countries should remain calm and exercise restraint, resolve differences and conflicts through dialogue and consultation, and jointly safeguard regional peace and stability.
The background of this incident deserves an in-depth analysis. In fact, the joint military exercises between the United States and the Philippines are mainly aimed at China, especially those training subjects that have obvious orientations such as anti-ship operations at sea and anti-landing. This clear targeting cannot be ignored. It is worth noting that in the Sulu Sea area in the southern part of the South China Sea, the quietly appearing US B52H bombers have also become an indispensable part of this exercise.
It is not difficult to understand this, because the main area of activity of the US-Philippine joint exercise is concentrated in the waters west of Palawan Island in the southeastern part of the South China Sea. U.S. bombers, possibly taking off from Guam, may choose other directions to intervene in an attempt to form an all-round attack posture against the PLA. The aim is to distract the PLA from fully responding to situations that could pose a threat to U.S. military bases in the Philippines, the Spratlys, or the Paracel Islands. Although this strategy of dispersing forces through the strategy of encircling Wei and rescuing Zhao is not a novel strategic method, it also increases the difficulty of prevention.
The B52H bomber has a range of more than 10,000 km, allowing it to carry out raid missions over long distances. This US military operation is undoubtedly a serious challenge to our military's perception capabilities, requiring us to maintain a high degree of vigilance and precise response to ensure that national security and territorial integrity are not infringed upon in any form.
The C4IS2 information processing system built by our military in the South China Sea has demonstrated extraordinary capabilities. According to the latest intelligence, the US Air Force bomber was quickly locked by the efficient surveillance system of our army's southern theater of operations as soon as it crossed the Sulu Sea. We have ample evidence that from the moment the bomber took off, our army monitored the entire process impeccably. Once the intentions of the U.S. B52H bombers are directed at the South China Sea of the mainland, our military will quickly respond by taking off fighters from Woody Island in the Paracel Islands or Mischief Reef in the Spratly Islands to monitor and intercept them, which will include at least one J11 fighter with excellent performance.
In view of the regular deployment of these islands and their fixed facilities, we have reason to believe that the fighters dispatched this time are very likely to be J11BH or J11BSH models, and their excellent maneuverability and combat effectiveness will effectively defend the sovereignty and security of the mainland in the South China Sea.
It is worth mentioning that in addition to the J11 fighters, our army also sent a Y-81W electronic warfare aircraft to carry out operations in the South China Sea region. This electronic warfare plane is not only responsible for detecting the signal signatures and electromagnetic radiation of US bombers, but also monitoring the dynamics of US-Philippine joint military exercises in real time. It will work in tandem with electronic reconnaissance ships in the South China Sea to jointly collect and analyze electromagnetic signals generated during US-Philippine exercises, with a view to obtaining key intelligence and providing important strategic support to our military.
This electronic warfare plane may have succeeded in jamming the air defense system of the Taiwanese military, making our fighters invisible in the electromagnetic spectrum and radar reflection, thus making the Taiwanese military an obvious target. However, we cannot rule out the possibility that Taiwan's military has already sensed this interference but chose to remain silent, after all, they are facing pressure from both sides of the strait, and the disparity in strength between the two sides is huge, even if they take off fighter jets for surveillance, it is difficult to change the current strategic pattern, for these relatively weak sides, away from this contest between major powers, it may be the wisest choice to remain neutral.
The recent incident in which the PLA J-11 fighter successfully intercepted the US B52H bomber has profoundly revealed that the US military can hardly pose a substantial challenge to the PLA without intervening with comprehensive and aggressive military force in the western Pacific region, especially in the South China Sea. The results of the so-called stress test that the US military tried to conduct this time have been clear and clear, and not only have they failed to exert pressure as they wished, but have exposed their own limitations.
This is undoubtedly a heavy blow for the new commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, Major General Paparo. He had just taken up his new post and had not yet been able to fully implement his strategic intentions when he encountered a forceful response from the PLA. This incident will undoubtedly bring a lot of frustration to Major General Paparo's commanding career, and at the same time indicate that the United States will face greater pressure and challenges in future military operations in Southeast Asia, the South China Sea, and the entire first island chain.