# A2/AD
Latest news and articles about A2/AD
Total: 12 articles found
The Cracking Defensive Line: Why China’s Missile Might May Push the U.S. Beyond the First Island Chain
The increasing range and precision of China's Dongfeng missile systems are making U.S. military positions within the First Island Chain increasingly untenable. Analysts suggest a strategic withdrawal to the Second Island Chain is inevitable as the cost of forward deployment rises and the risk to surface assets becomes critical.
The Victoria Redoubt: Why the US is Stashing Munitions in Australia’s Deep South
The U.S. Marine Corps is establishing a $30 million permanent ammunition depot in Victoria, Australia, to secure its logistics chain against potential Chinese missile strikes. This strategic move highlights a shift toward seeking 'strategic depth' as traditional forward bases like Guam become increasingly vulnerable to China's long-range DF-27 missiles.
China’s Hypersonic Sword: DF-17 Salvo Drills Signal New Era of Regional Deterrence
China has showcased advanced live-fire exercises involving the DF-17 hypersonic missile, demonstrating high operational maturity and multi-vehicle salvo capabilities. The drill signals a significant enhancement in the PLA’s ability to overwhelm regional missile defenses and underscores a shift in the strategic balance of power.
The End of the Platform Era: How Distributed Missile Warfare is Rewriting the Rules of Modern Conflict
Modern warfare is shifting from high-cost platforms like aircraft carriers to distributed networks of low-cost, high-precision missiles. This transition is driven by breakthroughs in hypersonic speed, additive manufacturing, and the use of commercial components, effectively neutralizing traditional air and sea defenses.
The Great Shield: Beijing Showcases Integrated 'System-of-Systems' Air Defense
The Chinese military has demonstrated a newly matured, integrated air defense system that coordinates land, sea, and air assets for wide-area coverage. This shift toward 'jointness' aims to enhance China's A2/AD capabilities and signal a sophisticated level of multi-domain interoperability.
Beijing’s Narrative: US Strikes on Iran Humiliated — What That Means for the Taiwan Strait
Chinese state-aligned media have seized on recent U.S. strikes on Iran to argue that American forces were put on the back foot, using the episode to warn that any U.S. intervention in the Taiwan Strait would be far more costly. The narrative highlights real tactical challenges but also serves a political purpose: to erode perceptions of U.S. credibility while bolstering Chinese deterrence messaging.
China’s Half-Year Military Review Signals Faster Modernization, New Tactics and Wider Reach
China’s six-month military review stresses new platforms, doctrinal shifts toward integrated, distributed warfare, and a broader operational reach. These changes complicate deterrence and crisis management in the Indo-Pacific and increase pressures on regional militaries to adapt.
A Stretching Match: China’s J‑15T and Long‑Range Missiles Counter the US MQ‑25 Advantage
Images of a J‑15T carrying what appear to be long‑range YJ‑15 anti‑ship missiles suggest China is extending the reach of its carrier aviation to counter a US move to lengthen carrier strike range via the MQ‑25 aerial tanker. The interaction reflects a broader shift from platform v. platform engagements to system‑level contests of surveillance, networking and standoff firepower across the western Pacific.
Supersonic Reach: How the J‑15 Armed with YJ‑15 Sharpens China’s Carrier Strike
A photo of a J‑15 fighter carrying the new YJ‑15 supersonic anti‑ship missile signals a meaningful upgrade in China’s carrier‑borne strike reach. With a lighter air‑launch design and a claimed range near 800 km, the missile extends PLA Navy standoff attack options, complicating regional defence planning even as it remains one element of a broader targeting and sensor ecosystem.
China’s Attack-11: A Pilotless Stealth “Flying Wing” Built to Penetrate High-Risk Airspace
China’s Attack-11 is a publicly unveiled stealth unmanned combat aircraft using a flying-wing layout designed to reduce radar signature and operate in high-risk airspace. Its combination of stealth and unmanned operation could expand PLA options for deep strike and electronic suppression, while complicating regional air-defence calculations.
Beijing Signals 'Decapitation' as an Option for Taiwan — A New Escalation in Cross‑Strait Posturing
Beijing’s defence ministry has publicly framed targeted strikes against Taiwan’s leadership as an available option, an unprecedented rhetorical escalation that follows a US cross‑border special operations episode. The move aims to deter secessionist moves, complicate allied intervention calculus, and has prompted regional hedging such as Singapore’s proposed contingency troop withdrawal.
US Navy Says New 'Trump‑Class' Warship Is Nothing Like Old Battleships — and That Matters
A senior U.S. Navy official says talk of a ‘‘Trump‑class’’ battleship should not be read as a return to World War II‑style gun platforms, but as a push for a new kind of large surface combatant built around modern strike, sensors and survivability. The comments highlight strategic, industrial and political debates about the future shape of American naval power in the Indo‑Pacific.