Chinese Exercises Wearing Down Taiwan's Defenses

Incursions by Chinese fighters and bombers into Taiwan's aerial identification zone have had their desired impact on the island nation's air force, causing further wear-and-tear to a limited supply of F-16 fighter jets that are repeatedly forced to take to the skies to monitor the Chinese and placing extreme pressure on an understaffed group of pilots who never know whether a Chinese jet "will fire at me."

The Chinese People's Liberation Army has far more aircraft and manpower at its disposal than Taiwan's Republic of China Air Force. Consequently, China can afford its increasingly regular incursions. The smaller ROCAF cannot.