Skip to content

Defense/Military - 2. page

PLA Trains Lower-Echelon Commanders in Joint-Operations Leadership

People’s Daily republished an article from PLA Daily, reports that a PLA Army brigade recently conducted an online command-and-control confrontation exercise, during which a battalion-level combined-arms commander directed multiple combat elements to execute coordinated strikes.

The brigade’s leadership said similar training has now become routine as they work to strengthen joint-operations proficiency among lower-echelon commanders, enabling them to synchronize ground forces with aviation, long-range strike, and special operations units. Recent exercises revealed gaps—including weak integration between air-landing and assault elements, and suboptimal fire-control decisions—which the program aims to address.

By training officers in air-sea situational awareness, route planning, target designation, and multi-domain coordination, the brigade seeks to shift junior commanders from narrow, ground-centric thinking toward a more comprehensive joint-operations mindset.

Source: People’s Daily, December 1, 2025
http://military.people.com.cn/n1/2025/1201/c1011-40614677.html

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military

CSIS: Wargame Simulation Indicates Chinese Invasion of Taiwan Unlikely to Succeed if Taiwan, U.S., and Japan Respond Jointly

Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s recent comments regarding a potential “Taiwan contingency” have prompted a strong reaction from Beijing. Analysts argue that this response reflects more than diplomatic friction—it reveals China’s underlying concerns about U.S.–Japan military cooperation in the event of a Taiwan Strait conflict. Japanese media, citing former Maritime Self-Defense Force officer and current military analyst “Major General Wolf,” note that these concerns rest on concrete strategic simulations rather than conjecture.

A 2023 wargame assessment by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) examined 24 potential invasion scenarios. In the simulations, China secured victory in only two, and only when the United States and Japan failed to coordinate their actions. In nearly every other case, joint U.S.–Japan involvement significantly diminished the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA’s) chances of occupying Taiwan.

Experts distill the formula for preventing a successful takeover into three interdependent factors: Taiwan’s determination to defend itself, U.S. military intervention, and Japanese logistical and basing support. All three components, they argue, are essential. China’s sharp response to Takaichi’s remarks underscores this strategic reality—robust trilateral alignment among Taiwan, the United States, and Japan would make a PLA victory in the Taiwan Strait highly improbable.

Source: Secret China, December 3, 2025
https://www.secretchina.com/news/b5/2025/12/03/1091482.html

Briefings | | |   @CS Defense/Military Geo-Strategic Trend

Huanqiu Times: U.S. Deploys Marine Task Force to Philippines to Strengthen Allied Coordination

According to Stars and Stripes, citing the U.S. Pacific Fleet, the United States has deployed a military task force to the Philippines. The unit is led by Major General Thomas Savage, commanding general of the 1st Marine Division stationed at Camp Pendleton, California. The task force is responsible for coordinating exercises and operations between U.S. forces stationed on the islands and the Philippine military. The task force does not include equipment, warships, aircraft, or vehicles, and for operational security reasons, officials declined to disclose its headquarters. While the number of U.S. personnel will rotate based on host-country needs, approximately 60 core members will serve as the main staff.

A Chinese analyst suggested that the key message the U.S. task force conveys is America’s support for its allies and commitment to security cooperation, providing reassurance to the Philippine military.

Another analyst noted that the U.S. Marine Corps has three divisions. Typically, a Philippine task force would be led by the 3rd Marine Division, based in the Ryukyu Islands and responsible for South China Sea operations. However, in this case, leadership comes from the 1st Marine Division at Camp Pendleton. “From this detail, a few observations can be made: First, this may indicate that the 3rd Marine Division is currently heavily tasked and unable to spare personnel. Second, the U.S. may be planning to deploy the operational capabilities of the 1st Marine Division to the Indo-Pacific region, particularly the Western Pacific,” the analyst added.

Source: Huanqiu Times, November 30, 2025
https://world.huanqiu.com/article/4PLr3tl98S0

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military Geo-Strategic Trend US-China Relations

CCTV Reports Crackdown on Espionage Targeting China’s Crop Genetic Data

China Central Television (CCTV) reports that state security agencies have uncovered and disrupted foreign espionage operations aimed at obtaining the genetic data and seed resources of key crops including soybeans, corn, and rice. According to the report, foreign intelligence services sought to acquire hybrid parent seeds — which are banned from export — by recruiting domestic collaborators and using covert methods, such as concealing seeds in export consignments. One suspect, surnamed Zhu, was sentenced to one year and six months in prison, while 17 others were given administrative penalties.

The report claims that foreign “research teams,” in some cases linked to diplomats, made repeated attempts to enter major grain-producing regions to gather data on production and reserves under the guise of field studies. These individuals allegedly employed counter-surveillance techniques, including changing vehicles, traveling on rural routes, and displaying cautious behavior in the field, before being intercepted by security officials.

CCTV described these activities as a significant threat to China’s food security and to the protection of its agricultural genetic resources. National security agencies stated that they are continuing to investigate and prevent such incidents, and called on the public to report suspicious activity through official channels.

Source: CCTV, November 3, 2025
https://news.cctv.com/2025/11/03/ARTIVnWtm4dzLDLv654LYruG251103.shtml

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military Economy/Resources

China’s Military and People’s Daily Describe Purge of He Weidong and Miao Hua as a “Before the Shots Are Fired” Move

People’s Daily republished an article from the PLA’s official website titled “The More Thorough the Anti-Corruption Struggle, the Stronger the Foundation for the Next Hundred Years,” framing the purge of former Central Military Commission (CMC) Vice Chairman He Weidong, CMC member Miao Hua, and other senior generals as a political necessity. The article emphasized:

“We must clearly understand that investigating and punishing major corruption cases involving He Weidong, Miao Hua, and others is a resolute struggle to defend the Party’s absolute leadership over the military, and a necessary step to eliminate the soil and conditions that allow corruption to grow.”

It further warned:

“If rotten elements are not thoroughly removed before the shots are fired, they will leave major risks to political security – consequences that would be unimaginable at a critical moment.”

The phrase “before the shots are fired” drew attention. According to former Central Party School professor Cai Xia, the purge was not initiated by Xi Jinping but was instead a preemptive counterattack launched by the other CMC Vice Chairman, Zhang Youxia. Xi’s review of weapons procurement and the sweeping corruption scandal in the Rocket Force had begun to encroach on Zhang’s sphere. Rather than wait, Zhang moved first, resulting in the takedown of He Weidong, Miao Hua, and multiple other generals.

Cai Xia further alleges:

“He Weidong and Miao Hua secretly planned to form a ‘private army’ in the Tianjin corridor – an armed force not subordinated to any theater command, intended to serve Xi Jinping in emergencies. Zhang Youxia uncovered the plan and used it as grounds to purge them.”

Sources:
1. People’s Daily, November 13, 2025
http://dangjian.people.com.cn/n1/2025/1113/c117092-40602812.html
2. Epoch Times, Novmeber 13, 2025
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/25/11/13/n14635190.htm

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military

Major Leak Exposes Chinese Cyber Contractor’s Global Hacking Operations

A massive data breach at Chinese cybersecurity firm Knownsec (知道创宇) has exposed its extensive global hacking and surveillance activities. More than 12,000 confidential files – including hacker tool specifications, cross-platform remote-access trojans, surveillance target lists, and large-scale data-theft records – briefly appeared on GitHub before being removed.

Founded in 2007 and headquartered in Beijing, Knownsec runs the hacker team “404 Lab” and is regarded as a major contractor for China’s military and intelligence agencies. The company serves financial institutions, government bodies, and major internet firms, received significant investment from Tencent, and employs over 900 staff. The U.S. placed Knownsec on its entity sanctions list in 2022.

The leaked documents show that Knownsec built remote-access trojans for Linux, Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android, enabling persistent access across a wide range of systems. Its Android tools could extract message histories from Chinese chat apps and Telegram for targeted surveillance. The leak also detailed hardware-based attack tools, including a malicious power bank capable of secretly exfiltrating data – demonstrating supply-chain attack methods that bypass traditional software defenses.

According to Cyber Press, spreadsheets in the leaked materials document intrusions into more than 80 foreign organizations, involving massive data theft. Examples include:

  • 95GB of Indian immigration records
  • 3TB of call logs from South Korea’s LG UPlus
  • 459GB of Taiwanese road-planning data
  • Password data from Taiwan Yahoo and Brazil LinkedIn accounts

The targets span over 20 countries and regions, including Japan, Taiwan, Vietnam, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, and the United Kingdom – indicating a broad, systematic intelligence-gathering campaign.

Security firm StealthMole further reported that Knownsec conducted internet-infrastructure mapping in 28 countries, covering the Asia-Pacific, Southeast Asia, Africa, and Europe.

Source: Epoch Times, November 14, 2025
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/25/11/13/n14635466.htm

Briefings | | |   @CS Defense/Military Information/Technology

PLA Conducts South China Sea Bomber Patrol after Philippine, U.S., and Japan Joint Exercise

Huanqiu Times reported that from November 14 to 15, the Philippine military, together with the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force, carried out another Multilateral Maritime Cooperation Activity (MMCA) in the West Philippine Sea. This was the eighth MMCA exercise held this year and the thirteenth since the program began.

In response, on November 14, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theater Command dispatched a formation of bombers for a routine patrol over the South China Sea – marking the first publicly disclosed deployment of this kind.

Experts interviewed by Global Times said the move underscores China’s strong resolve and capability to safeguard its territorial sovereignty. Bombers, compared with fighter jets, possess more powerful strike capabilities, including saturation attacks that even large surface vessels would struggle to evade.

Analysts believe the formation likely included variants of the H-6 bomber. These aircraft may have flown tactical routes to warn foreign vessels and reinforce China’s red lines, potentially with fighter escorts. The mission aligns with China’s broader strategy of diversifying its strike options and integrating bomber units with aircraft carrier groups to enhance long-range strike capability and increase the flexibility of China’s power projection.

Source: Huanqiu Times, November 16, 2025
https://mil.huanqiu.com/article/4PAF86Mj7GF

Briefings | | |   @CS Defense/Military Geo-Strategic Trend

Mass Purge Rocks Chinese Military as 28 Generals Fall in Corruption Crackdown

China’s military has been jolted by an unprecedented anti-corruption campaign that has seen 28 generals dismissed, detained, or quietly disappear over the past three years, according to recent reports. The sweeping purge reached a dramatic climax just before the Fourth Plenum of the 20th Central Committee, when the Defense Ministry announced the expulsion of nine senior generals from both the Communist Party and the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

Among those expelled are some of the most powerful figures in China’s armed forces, including He Weidong, a Politburo member and Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), and Miao Hua, former director of the CMC Political Work Department. Others removed include senior commanders from multiple service branches — Lin Xiangyang of the Eastern Theater Command, Yuan Huazhi of the Navy, and Wang Houbin of the Rocket Force. Notably, eight of the nine generals purged were sitting members of the Party’s Central Committee.

The scale of the campaign became even more apparent during the recently concluded Fourth Plenum, where 27 of the military’s 42 Central Committee members were absent — a stunning 63 percent no-show rate. Among the missing were Navy Commander Hu Zhongming, Northern Theater Commander Huang Ming, and Eastern Theater Political Commissar Liu Qingsong, all of whose whereabouts remain unknown.

Observers on Chinese social media have described the campaign as the most extensive military purge in decades, both in reach and intensity. The crackdown has also ensnared hundreds of lower-ranking officers, including major generals and lieutenant generals. Among those recently named is Zhang Fengzhong, former director of the Rocket Force’s Political Work Department, whose expulsion was confirmed during the Fourth Plenum.

Amid the upheaval, the Defense Ministry announced new appointments aimed at stabilizing leadership ranks. Lieutenant General Xia Zhihe has been named Political Commissar of the National Defense University, replacing Zhong Shaojun, who was widely viewed as a close aide to Xi Jinping.

Analysts say the purge reflects both Xi’s determination to tighten political control over the military and deep-seated corruption within the PLA’s procurement and promotion systems — particularly within the elite Rocket Force, which oversees China’s strategic missile arsenal. The full implications of this internal shake-up, however, remain to be seen.

Source: Central News Agency (Taiwan), October 27, 2025
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202510270074.aspx

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military