A Changing World, a Constant Priority: China’s Homeland Defense

China's military continues to prioritize homeland defense as a core objective, even as its global power-projection capabilities expand. This priority has evolved into a multi-domain, joint mission involving coordination across its army, navy, air force, space, and cyber forces. Recent reforms have strengthened integrated air defense, with the Chinese navy transferring hundreds of land-based aircraft, including H-6J bombers and JH-7 maritime-strike aircraft, to the air force. This restructuring aims to improve command and control over the national air-defense network, while the air force's H-6K bombers have begun maritime-strike training to enhance air-naval cooperation.