Latest news with #USNavalWarCollege
Saudi Gazette
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Saudi Gazette
Drone war opens a new chapter in India-Pakistan conflict
NEW DELHI — The world's first drone war between nuclear-armed neighbors has erupted in South Asia. On Thursday, India accused Pakistan of launching waves of drones and missiles at three military bases in Indian territory and Indian-administered Kashmir — an allegation Islamabad swiftly denied. Pakistan claimed it had shot down 25 Indian drones in recent hours. Delhi remained publicly silent. Experts say the tit-for-tat attacks mark a dangerous new phase in the decades-old rivalry, as both sides exchange not just artillery but unmanned weapons across a volatile border. As Washington and other global powers urge restraint, the region is teetering on the edge of escalation, with drones -- silent, remote and deniable -- opening a new chapter in the India-Pakistan conflict. "The Indo-Pak conflict is moving into a new drone era - one where 'invisible eyes' and unmanned precision may determine escalation or restraint. Thus, in South Asia's contested skies, the side that masters drone warfare won't just see the battlefield - they'll shape it," Jahara Matisek, a professor at the US Naval War College, told the BBC. Since Wednesday morning, Pakistan says Indian air strikes and cross-border fire have killed 36 people and injured 57 more in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. On the other side, India's army reports at least 16 civilians dead from Pakistani shelling. India insists its missile barrage was retaliation for a deadly militant attack on Indian tourists in Pahalgam last month - an attack Islamabad denies any role military announced on Thursday that it had shot down 25 Indian drones across various cities, including Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi. The drones -- reportedly Israeli-made Harop drones -- were reportedly intercepted using both technical and weapon-based countermeasures. India claimed to have neutralized several Pakistani air defense radars and systems, including one in Lahore, which Islamabad missiles and bombs, drones and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have become pivotal in modern warfare, significantly enhancing the precision and efficiency of military operations. These can relay co-ordinates for airstrikes or, if equipped, directly laser-designate targets, and help immediate can be used as decoys or suppression of enemy air defenses, flying into contested airspace to trigger enemy radar emissions, which can then be targeted by other munitions like loitering drones or anti-radiation missiles. "This is how Ukraine and Russia both do it in their war. This dual role -- targeting and triggering -- makes drones a force multiplier in degrading enemy air defenses without risking manned aircraft," says Prof say India's drone fleet is largely built around Israeli-made reconnaissance UAVs like the IAI Searcher and Heron, along with Harpy and Harop loitering munitions -- drones that double as missiles, capable of autonomous reconnaissance and precision strikes. The Harop, in particular, signals a shift toward high-value, precision-targeted warfare, reflecting the growing importance of loitering munitions in modern conflict, experts Heron, say experts, is India's "high-altitude eyes in the sky" for both peacetime monitoring and combat operations. The IAI Searcher Mk II is designed for frontline operations, offering up to 18 hours of endurance, a range of 300km (186 miles), and a service ceiling of 7,000m (23,000ft).While many believe India's combat drone numbers remain "modest", a recent $4bn deal to acquire 31 MQ-9B Predator drones -- which can can fly for 40 hours and up to an altitude of 40,000ft - from the US marks a major leap in its strike is also developing swarm drone tactics - deploying large numbers of smaller UAVs to overwhelm and saturate air defenses, allowing higher-value assets to penetrate, say drone fleet is "extensive and diverse", comprising both indigenous and imported systems, Ejaz Haider, a Lahore-based defense analyst told the said the inventory includes "over a thousand drones", featuring models from China, Turkey and domestic manufacturers. Notable platforms include the Chinese CH-4, the Turkish Bayraktar Akinci, and Pakistan's own Burraq and Shahpar drones. Additionally, Pakistan has developed loitering munitions, enhancing its strike forces inspect area after an Indian drone strike on Karachi on ThursdayHaider said the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) has been actively integrating unmanned systems into its operations for nearly a decade. A key focus is the development of "loyal wingman" drones - unmanned aerial vehicles designed to operate in co-ordination with manned aircraft, he Matisek believes "Israel's technical assistance, supplying Harop and Heron drones, has been pivotal for India, while Pakistan's reliance on Turkish and Chinese platforms highlights an ongoing arms race".While the recent drone exchanges between India and Pakistan mark a significant escalation in their rivalry, they differ markedly from the drone-centric warfare observed in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, experts say. There, drones become central to military operations, with both sides deploying thousands of UAVs for surveillance, targeting and direct attacks."Deploying drones [in the ongoing conflict] instead of fighter jets or heavy missiles represents a lower-level military option. Drones are less heavily armed than manned aircraft, so in one sense, this is a restrained move. However, if this is merely a prelude to a broader aerial campaign, the calculus changes entirely," Manoj Joshi, an Indian defense analyst, told the Haider believes the recent drone activity in Jammu "appears to be a tactical response to immediate provocations, not a full-scale retaliation [by Pakistan]"."A true retaliatory strike against India would involve shock and awe. It would likely be more comprehensive, involving multiple platforms — both manned and unmanned — and targeting a broader range of objectives. Such an operation would aim to deliver a decisive impact, signaling a significant escalation beyond the current tit-for-tat exchanges," Haider drones have fundamentally reshaped the battlefield in Ukraine, their role in the India-Pakistan conflict remains more limited and symbolic, say experts. Both countries are using their manned air forces to fire missiles at one another as well."The drone warfare we're witnessing may not last long; it could be just the beginning of a larger conflict," says Joshi."This could either signal a de-escalation or an escalation - both possibilities are on the table. We're at an inflection point; the direction we take from here is uncertain."Clearly India is integrating drones into its precision-strike doctrine, enabling stand-off targeting without crossing borders with manned aircraft. However, this evolution also raises critical questions."Drones lower the political and operational threshold for action, providing options to surveil and strike while trying to reduce escalation risks," says Prof Matisek."But they also create new escalation dynamics: every drone shot down, every radar blinded, becomes a potential flashpoint in this tense environment between two nuclear powers." — BBC
South China Morning Post
18-04-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Is China planning to declare shared control of Diaoyu Islands with Japan?
China is preparing to take the next step in its campaign to challenge Japanese control of the disputed Diaoyu Islands by unilaterally declaring them to be jointly administered, a prominent maritime security expert has warned. Advertisement Dr Toshi Yoshihara, a leading authority on China's naval strategy and a former professor at the US Naval War College, told the right-leaning Sankei Shimbun newspaper that Beijing could also dispatch members of its maritime militia disguised as fishermen to land on the uninhabited islets to further its claims, complicating any coordinated response by Tokyo and Washington. Yoshihara said China had maintained a near-constant coastguard presence in waters surrounding the Diaoyus – known in Japan as the Senkakus – including regular incursions into what Tokyo considered its territorial waters. By maintaining this presence, Beijing could argue that Japan was failing to exercise administrative authority, thereby justifying a claim of shared control. '[If] China can demonstrate that it can be in those waters on a more or less permanent basis and Japan can't do anything about it, how can Japan actually in practise claim that it has administrative control of the waters?' he said in the interview, which was published on Tuesday. The disputed Diaoyu Islands, also known as Senkaku in Japan, in the East China Sea. Photo: Reuters/Kyodo This approach was the natural progression from Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to the China coastguard's Shanghai headquarters for the East China Sea in November 2023, during which he ordered measures to 'strengthen sovereignty over the Diaoyu Islands', Yoshihara said.
Yahoo
06-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
China floats battle barges in Taiwan invasion plans
Vast new Chinese barges spotted off the country's south coast could be used to land heavy equipment and thousands of personnel in a possible invasion of Taiwan, defence experts say. Beijing this week launched what it called "punishing" drills around Taiwan, sending jets and warships in a rehearsal for a blockade and assault on the self-ruled island. And a memo from US Naval War College has revealed another potential weapon in Beijing's arsenal -- barges that can connect via extendable ramps to form an 820-metre-long (half-mile-long) pier from deep waters to land. With retractable legs that can push into the sea floor, the Naval War College said they could create a platform for personnel and "hundreds of vehicles" an hour to land on Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory. "These barges are clearly meant to facilitate amphibious invasion against Taiwan," Wen-Ti Sung, a nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council's Global China Hub, told AFP. Wargaming of a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan long assumed that Beijing's People's Liberation Army (PLA) would have been forced to rely on small amphibious landing vessels to get ashore. Only a handful of Taiwan's beaches are suitable for large-scale amphibious landings -- giving Taipei a critical edge in the defence of the island. "These barges may enable Chinese forces to make landings even on the more challenging terrains of the Taiwanese coastline," Sung said. This, he added, "gives the Chinese military a greater selection of potential landing spots, and spreads Taiwanese defences thin". Satellite images from Planet Labs PBC obtained by AFP show the system deployed in the waters off Zhanjiang city of Guangdong, southern China, at the end of March. In a programme on state TV last month discussing the barges, military commentator Wei Dongxu touted their ability to transport large numbers of heavy equipment onto an island "while keeping their feet dry". "Once the naval and air forces effectively control the air and sea, then this... barge will appear," he said. "It can be said that it is a sign of victory." And another three barges, dubbed Shuiqiao ("water bridge" in Chinese) by analysts, are under construction in southern China, the US Naval War College said. - 'Any means possible' - "They embody the seriousness with which China under President Xi Jinping is pursuing absorption of Taiwan by any means possible," Andrew Erickson, professor at the US Naval War College's China Maritime Studies Institute, told AFP. "China... would not waste resources on such a specialized, dedicated system if it were not bore-sighted on taking Taiwan by threat, or use, of force." China could harness its world-leading shipbuilding industry to rapidly build many more barges at affordable cost, Erickson said. Beijing has ramped up military pressure on Taiwan in recent years and held multiple large-scale exercises around the island that are often described as rehearsals for a blockade and seizure of the territory. US officials say President Xi has ordered his military to be ready for an invasion of Taiwan by 2027. And during this week's drills, Taiwan's defence ministry said it had detected 21 warships, 71 aircraft and four coast guard vessels around the island on Tuesday. China's Shandong aircraft carrier also took part. The drills, held less than a month after Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te called China a "foreign hostile force", saw Beijing practice striking "key energy sites" and ports, Beijing's military said. - 'Hard to hide, hard to defend'- But despite the bravado from Beijing, defeating well-prepared Taiwanese defenders and performing a successful invasion of the island still poses major challenges to China's modernising military. And the barges are still no panacea for the logistical woes that will plague any future invasion. The barges "appear vulnerable to attacks from land, air, and sea", the US Naval War College said. "There are reasons why these capabilities aren't commonly touted as particularly viable," said Rorry Daniels, managing director of the Asia Society Policy Institute. "They're... hard to hide, hard to defend, slow to move." "You need air superiority for them to work and it's not clear to me that Beijing could establish air superiority over Taiwan." US Naval War College's Erickson said they "cannot hope to survive in isolation". Though still appearing to be in a trial phase of their deployment, the barges could be aimed at sending a message to Taiwan's leaders. Beijing is saying "'We are actively problem-solving the issues that we see with a full-scale invasion of Taiwan,'" said Daniels. "'And you should be worried about that.'" sam/oho/je/sco
Al Arabiya
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
China floats battle barges that could be used in possible invasion of Taiwan
Vast new Chinese barges spotted off the country's south coast could be used to land heavy equipment and thousands of personnel in a possible invasion of Taiwan, defense experts say. Beijing this week launched what it called 'punishing' drills around Taiwan, sending jets and warships in a rehearsal for a blockade and assault on the self-ruled island. And a memo from US Naval War College has revealed another potential weapon in Beijing's arsenal -- barges that can connect via extendable ramps to form an 820-metre-long (half-mile-long) pier from deep waters to land. With retractable legs that can push into the sea floor, the Naval War College said they could create a platform for personnel and 'hundreds of vehicles' an hour to land on Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory. 'These barges are clearly meant to facilitate amphibious invasion against Taiwan,' Wen-Ti Sung, a nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council's Global China Hub, told AFP. Wargaming of a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan long assumed that Beijing's People's Liberation Army (PLA) would have been forced to rely on small amphibious landing vessels to get ashore. Only a handful of Taiwan's beaches are suitable for large-scale amphibious landings -- giving Taipei a critical edge in the defense of the island. 'These barges may enable Chinese forces to make landings even on the more challenging terrains of the Taiwanese coastline,' Sung said. This, he added, 'gives the Chinese military a greater selection of potential landing spots, and spreads Taiwanese defenses thin.' Satellite images from Planet Labs PBC obtained by AFP show the system deployed in the waters off Zhanjiang city of Guangdong, southern China, at the end of March. In a program on state TV last month discussing the barges, military commentator Wei Dongxu touted their ability to transport large numbers of heavy equipment onto an island 'while keeping their feet dry.' 'Once the naval and air forces effectively control the air and sea, then this... barge will appear,' he said. 'It can be said that it is a sign of victory.' And another three barges, dubbed Shuiqiao ('water bridge' in Chinese) by analysts, are under construction in southern China, the US Naval War College said. 'Any means possible' 'They embody the seriousness with which China under President Xi Jinping is pursuing absorption of Taiwan by any means possible,' Andrew Erickson, professor at the US Naval War College's China Maritime Studies Institute, told AFP. 'China... would not waste resources on such a specialized, dedicated system if it were not bore-sighted on taking Taiwan by threat, or use, of force.' China could harness its world-leading shipbuilding industry to rapidly build many more barges at affordable cost, Erickson said. Beijing has ramped up military pressure on Taiwan in recent years and held multiple large-scale exercises around the island that are often described as rehearsals for a blockade and seizure of the territory. US officials say President Xi has ordered his military to be ready for an invasion of Taiwan by 2027. And during this week's drills, Taiwan's defense ministry said it had detected 21 warships, 71 aircraft and four coast guard vessels around the island on Tuesday. China's Shandong aircraft carrier also took part. The drills, held less than a month after Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te called China a 'foreign hostile force', saw Beijing practice striking 'key energy sites' and ports, Beijing's military said. 'Hard to hide, hard to defend' But despite the bravado from Beijing, defeating well-prepared Taiwanese defenders and performing a successful invasion of the island still poses major challenges to China's modernizing military. And the barges are still no panacea for the logistical woes that will plague any future invasion. The barges 'appear vulnerable to attacks from land, air, and sea,' the US Naval War College said. 'There are reasons why these capabilities aren't commonly touted as particularly viable,' said Rorry Daniels, managing director of the Asia Society Policy Institute. 'They're... hard to hide, hard to defend, slow to move.' 'You need air superiority for them to work and it's not clear to me that Beijing could establish air superiority over Taiwan.' US Naval War College's Erickson said they 'cannot hope to survive in isolation.' Though still appearing to be in a trial phase of their deployment, the barges could be aimed at sending a message to Taiwan's leaders. Beijing is saying 'We are actively problem-solving the issues that we see with a full-scale invasion of Taiwan,' said Daniels. 'And you should be worried about that.'
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
China floats battle barges in Taiwan invasion plans
Vast new Chinese barges spotted off the country's south coast could be used to land heavy equipment and thousands of personnel in a possible invasion of Taiwan, defence experts say. Beijing this week launched what it called "punishing" drills around Taiwan, sending jets and warships in a rehearsal for a blockade and assault on the self-ruled island. And a memo from US Naval War College has revealed another potential weapon in Beijing's arsenal -- barges that can connect via extendable ramps to form an 820-metre-long (half-mile-long) pier from deep waters to land. With retractable legs that can push into the sea floor, the Naval War College said they could create a platform for personnel and "hundreds of vehicles" an hour to land on Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory. "These barges are clearly meant to facilitate amphibious invasion against Taiwan," Wen-Ti Sung, a nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council's Global China Hub, told AFP. Wargaming of a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan long assumed that Beijing's People's Liberation Army (PLA) would have been forced to rely on small amphibious landing vessels to get ashore. Only a handful of Taiwan's beaches are suitable for large-scale amphibious landings -- giving Taipei a critical edge in the defence of the island. "These barges may enable Chinese forces to make landings even on the more challenging terrains of the Taiwanese coastline," Sung said. This, he added, "gives the Chinese military a greater selection of potential landing spots, and spreads Taiwanese defences thin". Satellite images from Planet Labs PBC obtained by AFP show the system deployed in the waters off Zhanjiang city of Guangdong, southern China, at the end of March. In a programme on state TV last month discussing the barges, military commentator Wei Dongxu touted their ability to transport large numbers of heavy equipment onto an island "while keeping their feet dry". "Once the naval and air forces effectively control the air and sea, then this... barge will appear," he said. "It can be said that it is a sign of victory." And another three barges, dubbed Shuiqiao ("water bridge" in Chinese) by analysts, are under construction in southern China, the US Naval War College said. - 'Any means possible' - "They embody the seriousness with which China under President Xi Jinping is pursuing absorption of Taiwan by any means possible," Andrew Erickson, professor at the US Naval War College's China Maritime Studies Institute, told AFP. "China... would not waste resources on such a specialized, dedicated system if it were not bore-sighted on taking Taiwan by threat, or use, of force." China could harness its world-leading shipbuilding industry to rapidly build many more barges at affordable cost, Erickson said. Beijing has ramped up military pressure on Taiwan in recent years and held multiple large-scale exercises around the island that are often described as rehearsals for a blockade and seizure of the territory. US officials say President Xi has ordered his military to be ready for an invasion of Taiwan by 2027. And during this week's drills, Taiwan's defence ministry said it had detected 21 warships, 71 aircraft and four coast guard vessels around the island on Tuesday. China's Shandong aircraft carrier also took part. The drills, held less than a month after Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te called China a "foreign hostile force", saw Beijing practice striking "key energy sites" and ports, Beijing's military said. - 'Hard to hide, hard to defend'- But despite the bravado from Beijing, defeating well-prepared Taiwanese defenders and performing a successful invasion of the island still poses major challenges to China's modernising military. And the barges are still no panacea for the logistical woes that will plague any future invasion. The barges "appear vulnerable to attacks from land, air, and sea", the US Naval War College said. "There are reasons why these capabilities aren't commonly touted as particularly viable," said Rorry Daniels, managing director of the Asia Society Policy Institute. "They're... hard to hide, hard to defend, slow to move." "You need air superiority for them to work and it's not clear to me that Beijing could establish air superiority over Taiwan." US Naval War College's Erickson said they "cannot hope to survive in isolation". Though still appearing to be in a trial phase of their deployment, the barges could be aimed at sending a message to Taiwan's leaders. Beijing is saying "'We are actively problem-solving the issues that we see with a full-scale invasion of Taiwan,'" said Daniels. "'And you should be worried about that.'" sam/oho/je/sco
