In June 2025, the Liaoning and Shandong carrier strike groups conducted operations in the Western Pacific, achieving three major milestones with significant strategic implications for the U.S. military and Indo-Pacific regional states.
The three key milestones include the first simultaneous deployment of two carrier strike groups beyond the First Island Chain; the first time a Chinese carrier has operated beyond the Second Island Chain; and a record-breaking duration for carrier operations outside the First Island Chain.
These military actions were part of far-seas mobile operations training, conducted within the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s annual routine training program. This indicates that the Chinese Navy has begun to regularize far-seas mobile operations training, which may require the United States to adjust its force posture in the region.
Together with the large-scale PLA military operations around Taiwan that have taken place since 2022, these developments suggest that the Central Military Commission likely assesses that the Chinese military possesses comprehensive near-seas combat capabilities, implying that the PLA Navy could believe it has secured operational dominance in nearby waters and may adopt more assertive actions against foreign naval vessels in these areas.
PLA Navy Shifts Training Focus from Near-Shore to Blue-Water Operations – Jamestown
