"Forget aircraft carriers. The Eastern Theater Command doesn't even have a Type 055 destroyer. How can it be the leader among the five major theater commands?"

According to everyone's understanding of the "strongest war zone", in addition to having the largest scale of armaments, it must also be equipped with the most advanced weapons and armament systems, otherwise it cannot be called the "strongest war zone."

But China has a special Eastern Theater Command. It has no aircraft carriers, no 055 destroyers, and no nuclear submarines, but it is called "the first of the five major theater commands . "

What is going on? What is the confidence of the Eastern Theater Command?

"Naval power in the Eastern Theater"

Let’s first talk about the most controversial navy. After all, aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines are indispensable in the modern navy, but the Eastern Theater Command does not have them.

Under such circumstances, the Type 055 destroyer, a heavy sea vessel, should have been equipped to the Eastern Theater Command, right?

However, the Eastern Theater is a coastal theater, and it is located in the east. If the enemy invades, this will most likely be the first target of the enemy's attack.

If that’s the case, why not equip the Eastern Theater Command with it?

China currently has three major fleets, namely the North Sea Fleet, the South Sea Fleet and the East China Sea Fleet. Since it is one of the three major fleets, is the strength of the East China Sea Fleet really as bad as it appears on paper?

No, although the East China Sea Fleet does not have those three things, its strength should not be underestimated.

First of all , in terms of fleet size, the East China Sea Fleet has a total of 8 052D main destroyers and 8 advanced destroyers including 052C .

In addition, the number of 054A frigates and 056 frigates has reached more than a dozen or even dozens.

Based on the data of vertical launch unit missiles, the entire East China Sea Fleet can reach more than 1,100 .

These include but are not limited to various types of missiles such as anti-ship, anti-air and anti-missile. With such a huge air defense capability, even if the US aircraft carrier fleet arrives, it will be completely worthy of defense.

The reason I say this is naturally to make one point: even if the East China Sea Fleet does not have an aircraft carrier, its strength is not necessarily that bad.

So, why is there no aircraft carrier allocated to the East China Sea Fleet?

I wonder if you have noticed that when military exercises were held regarding the "Taiwan issue", the Eastern Theater Command was the one that contributed the most, which shows that it has been given a deeper mission .

If a "Taiwan Strait War" breaks out in the future, the Eastern Theater Command will most likely be the main force.

Taiwan is an island, which means that if a war breaks out in the future, we must have the ability to land on the beach.

As it happens, the Eastern Theater Command is very good at this, and the Type 075 amphibious assault ship and Type 071 amphibious landing ship are also among them.

Therefore, the Eastern Theater Command is not equipped with an aircraft carrier, and there are strategic considerations behind this.

That is why the 055 destroyer, which serves as an "aircraft carrier frigate", does not have any supporting equipment.

At this point, everyone has to ask: "Will the Eastern Theater never be equipped with an aircraft carrier?"

The answer is also no. As we have said before, the strategic position of the Eastern Theater is very important. To deal with such a situation, aircraft carriers will definitely be an indispensable combat readiness resource for the East China Sea Fleet in the future.

Looking at the present, the Eastern Theater Command shoulders the "heavy responsibility for Taiwan", which determines its current mission .

But if the Taiwan issue is resolved smoothly and the United States is unwilling to withdraw from the Asia-Pacific region, their so-called first island chain and second island chain will inevitably remain the same, except without Taiwan.

How can we continue to confront the United States? We must deploy defenses against the first and second island chains. By that time, perhaps there will be aircraft carriers in the Eastern Theater.

And it is likely to be an aircraft carrier equipped with new technologies, such as a nuclear magnetic catapult aircraft carrier or a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier .

In addition to the navy, the army and air force of the Eastern Theater Command are even more powerful.

"The Land and Air Levels of the Eastern Theater Command"

In terms of air force, although the Eastern Theater Command has the smallest overall area among the five theater commands, it has the largest air force strength, accounting for half of all air force strength.

In other words, the Eastern Theater's air force strength is on par with the other four theaters.

The army accounts for one quarter of the force, and the navy accounts for one third, even without any aircraft carriers.

As China's fifth-generation fighter, the J-20 is quite advanced even in the world. The Eastern Theater Air Force will have the priority to be equipped with such a new type of fighter .

Moreover, as of now, the Eastern Theater Command accounts for half of the deployed J-20s.

There are two reasons. One is that China's ace air force is in the Eastern Theater Command, and the other is to further enhance the air force combat capability of the Eastern Theater Command.

In addition, fighter jets such as the J-10C and J-16D, which we are familiar with, are also deployed on a large scale in the Eastern Theater.

Then there is the H-6K, nicknamed "Master 6" by netizens. There are three bomber regiments equipped in the Eastern Theater Air Force. If all of them are sent out at once, an aircraft carrier fleet may not be enough.

In addition to conventional bombers such as the H-6N, all the cruise missiles and anti-ship missiles in the Eastern Theater Command together account for one-third of the entire army .

Not to mention that the Eastern Theater Command also has the Rocket Force, "Dongfeng Express, mission accomplished", hypersonic intercontinental missiles such as Dongfeng-41 and Dongfeng-26, which are the confidence of the Eastern Theater Command.

In terms of the army, China has a total of 13 group armies, and the top three group armies are all in the Eastern Theater Command.

There are 82 combined brigades, of which 36 are in the Eastern Theater. Given this scale, who would not refute if someone said that the Eastern Theater’s army is not the strongest?

The Eastern Theater Command is no less capable than the Type 96 and Type 99 main battle tanks, Type 04A infantry fighting vehicles, Type 05 amphibious armored vehicles, etc.

Special mention should be made of the heavy armored combined brigades, of which there are 28 in the entire army, and 10 of them in the Eastern Theater Command alone, which is more than one-third .

You know, many countries can't even put together one heavy combined brigade, let alone 10. This strength is almost better than most European countries.

All in all, the strength of the Eastern Theater's air force and army is undoubtedly the "number one in the entire army", and coupled with the navy, which is not weak, it is worthy of the title of "first among the five major theater commands" .

The people of the whole country can rest assured that the Taiwan issue can be resolved by the Eastern Theater Command.

In fact, the country’s multiple adjustments to war zones and the distribution of combat power in each war zone are not only based on regional deployments, but more on strategic significance.

The mission of each theater is different, so there is no need for us to over-praise the Eastern Theater. The other four theaters are equally important and none of them can be dispensable in safeguarding the security of the country and the people .

What else do you want to say about this? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section.

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Reference: Beijing News - Latest footage! Eastern Theater Command exercises, more details revealed

Ministry of National Defense of the People's Republic of China - Eastern Theater Command