Exercises
Justice Mission 2025: PLA conducts live-fire drills on second day around Taiwan
Reported by AI Image generated by AI
Continuing its 'Justice Mission 2025' exercises launched on December 29, the People's Liberation Army Eastern Theater Command held the second day of drills on December 30, featuring live-fire operations simulating maritime attacks and anti-air and anti-submarine missions north and south of Taiwan. The manoeuvres serve as a warning to 'independence forces' and external interference. Taiwan's defence ministry detected a record 130 PLA aircraft, 14 ships, and eight coastguard vessels near the island in the prior 24 hours.
Taiwan's cabinet has outlined a policy to organize conscripts into full battalion-level units starting this year, attaching them to combined-arms brigades for the high-intensity Lien Yung three-service live-fire exercises. This shift breaks from past practices of using conscripts mainly as static garrison manpower, integrating them into the island's war-fighting structure. Officials say the drills will expose conscripts to realistic battlefield conditions alongside professional soldiers equipped with advanced weapons.