China Prepares To Dominate South Pacific With Week Of Electronic Warfare Drills

zerohedge.com

While the Trump administration unveiling another round of tariffs on Chinese goods worth $200 billion – for which China’s Commerce Ministry is planning “countermeasures,” Beijing quietly began conducting military drills at five bases for electronic warfare, cybersecurity, reconnaissance and tactical strikes at five training bases, reports the South China Morning Post…

On Friday, CNBC reported that China was quietly conducting electronic warfare tests on tech-jamming technology in the South China Sea – weeks after delivering military equipment to the disputed Spratley Islands.

The move allows Beijing to further project its power in the hotly disputed waters. The placement of electronic warfare assets, which are designed to confuse or disable communications and radar systems, comes on the heels of China’s installation of anti-ship cruise missiles and surface-to-air missile systems on three outposts in the hotly contested waters of the South China Sea. -CNBC…

China will be looking to compete with the United States’ GPS system with their Beidou program – also known as Compass. The system is expected to be completed by 2020, and will significantly improve China’s electronic warfare capabilities.

The Beidou system will definitely ‘add wings’ to the PLA, but only when all service troops are able to operate the new combat skills smoothly,” said Hong Kong-based military expert Song Zhongping, who added “Electronic warfare – like cyberwarriors and army aviation air strike operations – are strategically important in modern combat, as many new weapons also need the support of electronic facilities.”

Professor He Qisong, a defence policy specialist at Shanghai University of Political Science and Law, said the drills this week indicated that the PLA was exploring a new training model to prepare commanders and soldiers for modern warfare.