Japanese islands northeast of Taiwan complicate the effort to keep an invasion geographically contained. One hypothetical disposition places Chinese carrier groups around the approaches to provide air defense and separate aircraft operating against Taiwan from aircraft belonging to other powers. Sustaining two such groups on station is estimated to require four or five carrier groups in service. A group to the south is another possibility considered. These dispositions would still leave a risk of outside involvement.
Notable Point · 1:53:34-1:55:06
Carrier groups and airspace separation around Taiwan
A hypothetical carrier screen north and east of Taiwan would try to separate the air campaign from other nations' aircraft.