Email from Friday, August 7 2026 Click Here to Read on the MDAA Website Follow and Support MDAA MDAA Alert: China’s Show of Naval Surface Capabilities in Australia’s EEZ   China PLAN Type-055 “Zunyi” Destroyer (Cruiser) Dear Members and Friends, Our latest MDAA report is the 11th in our series of Friday Threat Alerts on Missile and Drone Defense Key Points Between 21 February and 9 March 2025, China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) dispatched a three-ship task group consisting a frigate, destroyer (cruiser), and replenishment ship to perform live-fire exercises within Australia’s Exclusive Economic Zone in the Tasman Sea. The task group continued to circumnavigate around Australia before returning to the South China and Java Seas. These types of frigates and destroyers are capable of defending fleets, engaging surface targets, and hunting submarines. They are armed with a combination of anti-ship missiles, surface-to-air missiles, torpedoes, close-in weapon systems, and helicopters supported by advanced radars and electronic warfare systems. These actions are being widely interpreted as an indicator of China’s intent to transition from a green-water navy towards a blue-water navy capable of sustained operations on the open oceans. The naval exercises were conducted without official notice, and the Australian and New Zealand government raised concerns about the exercises via diplomatic channels. Setting aside the international relations politics of these Chinese actions and their relationship to freedom of navigation operations by Australia and New Zealand in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait, these actions and future Chinese steps bear monitoring as the PLAN continues to modernize its sea-based anti-ship and land attack cruise missile inventory. Looking forward, future PLAN Task Force deployments in the home waters of Australia and New Zealand may well involve more advanced YJ-20 ASCMs and extended-range ship-based CJ-10 LACMs. These trends and demonstrated intent should be considered as key planning assumptions in Allied defense planning for this area. Different combinations of factors should be considered in scenario planning in building effective mitigations and countermeasures to the potential future threat demonstrated by the PLAN Navy in last year’s show of force. Click here to read the full report. Winners Associate with Winners to Win! Riki Ellison Chairman and Founder Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance   Share This Email Share This Email Share This Email Click Here to Join MDAA _____________________________________________________________________ MDAA is a non-profit, non-partisan tax-exempt 501(c) (4) organization. Our mission is to make the world safer by advocating for the development and deployment of missile defense systems to defend the United States and its allies against missile threats. We are a membership-funded organization that does not advocate on behalf of any specific system, technology, architecture or entity. Founded in 2002, MDAA is the only organization in existence whose primary mission is to recruit, organize, and mobilize proponents to advocate for the critical need of missile defense. Visit our website www.missiledefenseadvocacy.org for more information.   Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance 515 King Street, Suite 330 Alexandria, VA 22314 Phone: (703) 299-0060 Email: [email protected]   Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance | 515 King Street Suite 330 | Alexandria, VA 22314 US Unsubscribe | Constant Contact Data Notice