"The Chinese exercises … demonstrated that the PLAN seems to have improved coordination between its air, surface and submarine forces," Dave Majumdar noted in a piece for the National Interest.
Efficiency is highly dependent on networking and coordination when considerable distances and vast spaces become an issue. For this reason, the drills, involving guided missile destroyers, frigates, submarines, early-warning aircraft and fighter jets, were conducted over a large area of the South China Sea.
"The vessels and aircraft [which took part in the Navy's latest drills] were highly depended on networking – an expertise in which Chinese forces are making great strikes," Majumdar observed.
To make the drills as realistic as possible, the PLA Navy seems to have also "extensively incorporated electronic and cyber warfare," the analyst noted.
"You can see that the [PLA] Navy is including information and electronic warfare scenarios in every exercise it has made in recent years, indicating it pays great attention to building a strong information capability."
The PLAN war-games were held less than 30 days after the PLA Navy held a major anti-submarine exercise.
