Taking advantage of the window period for U.S. aircraft carriers, China's Liaoning fleet took advantage of the situation and headed east for training in the Western Pacific.

The Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy announced on the 14th that the "Liaoning" aircraft fleet has officially set off to relevant waters in the Western Pacific to conduct regular training. The picture shows the previous training footage of the Chinese aircraft carrier "Liaoning". (Reuters file photo)

[Reporter Luo Tianbin/Reporting from Taipei] The Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy announced on the 14th that the "Liaoning" aircraft fleet has officially set off to relevant waters in the Western Pacific to conduct regular training. The Communist Army emphasized that this was a routine training organized according to an annual plan, aiming to test and improve the actual combat training level of the troops. It also emphasized that the operation was fully in compliance with international law and international practice and was not targeted at any specific country. However, the timing of this military development is quite delicate. It coincides with the U.S. Navy facing a rare aircraft window in the Western Pacific Island Chain Defense Zone, which has aroused great concern among Asia-Pacific countries.

In terms of escorting warships, Chinese officials did not disclose the specific number and detailed list of warships in the first wave of announcements. According to past historical records, the size of the Liaoning ship's formation for exercises in the Western Pacific is usually maintained in the range of 4 to 8 warships. For example, in May 2022, it reached the largest scale in history of 8 ships. At that time, it included the 10,000-ton large-scale cruiser Nanchang, multiple air defense destroyers and comprehensive supply ships. Relevant people judged today that the escort lineup this time will still follow actual combat standards, covering Type 055 destroyers, Type 052D air defense destroyers and Type 901 large comprehensive supply ships. There may also be submarines accompanying them under the water.

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The U.S. Navy faces a rare aircraft window in the Western Pacific Island Chain Defense Zone, with only one amphibious assault ship deployed in Japan. (Picture: taken from USNI NEWS website)

At the same time, the U.S. Navy is facing a short "window period" for large-scale troop mobilization in the core defense areas of the first and second island chains. As the situation in the Middle East continues to be tense, the USS Washington, which was originally forward-deployed in Yokosuka, Japan, was transferred to the Middle East in August, and the USS Lincoln, which had just completed 10 months of high-intensity deployment, also returned to San Diego, California, on October 8. Although the USS Bush just concluded its visit to Phuket, Thailand on October 9, and the USS Theodore Roosevelt is also crossing the Pacific from east to west, its final destination is also to go to the Middle East to take over its mission. It will only stay briefly in the Western Pacific and cannot be stationed for a long time.

In order to fill the defense gap of large traditional aircraft, the US military currently relies mainly on large amphibious assault ships equipped with F-35B fighters and known as "Lightning aircraft" in the Western Pacific to maintain deterrence. Currently, the USS Tripoli is stationed in the Port of Sasebo, Japan, regularly cooperating with the US Marine Corps in patrolling the waters around Okinawa, and the amphibious assault ship USS America is also regularly deployed within the jurisdiction of the Seventh Fleet. This means that when the Liaoning aircraft carrier formation is leaving the western Pacific in the east, the U.S. military in the core area of ​​the first island chain is mainly stationed on the front line by amphibious assault ships, forming a dynamic state of interweaving forces.

The precise navigation trajectory and training subjects of the Liaoning fleet, or the latest countermeasure deployment and real-time monitoring reports of neighboring countries such as the Japanese Self-Defense Force and the U.S. Seventh Fleet, will continue to be the focus. Faced with the Chinese Navy's situation of taking advantage of the U.S. military's scheduling window to block drills, military competition in the region is expected to further heat up in the next few days, and all parties will continue to pay close attention to the latest developments in the sensitive waters of the Western Pacific.