A long-range strike exercise held by the US Strategic Command earlier this month may have been intended as a practice run for a future contingency involving China, military analysts have said.
The exercise, codenamed Operation Chimichanga, was held at the US military’s Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex near Eilson Air Force Base, Alaska, and involved a variety of combat aircraft and bombers, including F-22 Raptor stealth fighters, B-1 bombers, E-3 Sentry airborne warning and control system (AWACS) and KC-135 Stratotankers air-refueling aircraft.
US Air Force F-16s from Misawa Air Base in northern Japan also took part in the exercise.
Other than a short press release detailing the type of aircraft and weapons used during the exercise, the US Air Force has remained relatively low-key on the matter and did not refer to any specific contingency or scenario.
Major Scott Lanis, 168th Operations Group chief of scheduling, said the more than 168,000km2 of airspace at the complex provided a diverse training environment that allowed pilots to train realistically and jointly in situations similar to those they would face in combat.
The exercise allowed different aircraft to work together in a simulated strike environment, to practice interoperability while simultaneously traveling long distances and receiving air-refueling support, a notice on the exercise said.
This was also the first time that increment 3.1, a recent F-22 hardware and software upgrade that provides the F-22 with the means to find and engage ground targets, was used in a large force employment exercise.
The exercise on April 4 involved launches of a combination of real and computer-simulated weapons at mock targets scattered across the Joint Pacific Alaska Range.
Although the nation-wide joint exercise was officially aimed at validating the long-range capabilities of the B-1s and the ability of F-22s and F-16s to escort them into an anti-access target area, military analysts have speculated that it was also aimed at validating evolving US Air Force tactics and concepts for military operations against either China in the Pacific theater of operations, or possibly North Korea.
One of the main focuses of Chinese military modernization in recent years has been anti-access/area-denial capabilities to delay or prevent US forces from intervening in an armed conflict over Taiwan.
In addition to the Dong Feng-21D anti-ship missile currently under development, China has erected an impressive network of surface-to-air missiles to counter enemy aircraft, mostly through acquisitions from Russia.
Meanwhile, the joint Maritime Cooperation Sino-Russian naval exercises in the Yellow Sea entered their second day yesterday. In all, 25 naval vessels, 13 aircraft, nine helicopters and two special -fighting groups are taking part in the exercise, the largest in years. The People’s Liberation Army Navy has deployed missile destroyers, missile frigates, missile boats, a support vessel and a hospital ship for the exercises, which are scheduled to finish on Friday.
Chinese submarines will reportedly act as an opposing force attacking the joint fleet as part of anti-submarine warfare exercises.
While the Russian Navy’s cruiser Varyag is participating in the exercise off Shandong Province, China’s own refurbished Varyag aircraft carrier embarked on its fifth sea trial on Friday, though it is not expected to participate in the joint exercises with Russia.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
The New Taipei City Government would assist relatives of those killed or injured in last month’s car-ramming incident in Sansia District (三峽) to secure compensation, Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said yesterday, two days after the driver died in a hospital. “The city government will do its best to help the relatives of the car crash incident seek compensation,” Hou said. The mayor also said that the city’s Legal Affairs, Education and Social Welfare departments have established a joint mechanism to “provide coordinated assistance” to victims and their families. Three people were killed and 12 injured when a car plowed into schoolchildren and their