U.S. special operations forces and Marines have been deployed to Taiwan and secretly training its military for at least a year as China becomes increasingly aggressive with its territorial claim on the island, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.

A couple of dozen special operators and support troops are training small units of Taiwan's ground forces, while a contingent of Marines is working with local maritime forces on small-boat training, according to the report, which cited unnamed U.S. officials.

The news report came amid a record-setting number of Chinese military flights around the island. The People's Liberation Army made a total of 149 military flights over four days, including 56 on Monday, The Associated Press reported.

It also comes at a time of heightened U.S.-China tensions over issues ranging from trade to human rights to COVID-19 and seems sure to further stoke Beijing's ire.

In a statement to the Journal, the Chinese foreign ministry said the country "will take all necessary steps to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity."

The Marine Corps on Thursday directed questions to the Pentagon, which declined to comment directly on the report when contacted by Military.com. A spokesman did release a general statement on the Pentagon's position toward China and Taiwan.

"I don't have any comments on specific operations, engagements, or training, but I would like to highlight that our support for and defense relationship with Taiwan remains aligned against the current threat posed by the People's Republic of China," spokesman John Supple wrote in an email statement.

Like stores around the country, military exchanges are wrestling with COVID-related supply chain problems and rising prices.

The problems are affecting everything from the manufacturing process to the entire shipping chain.

“We continue to fight for our ‘unfair share’ of inventory to provide ongoing merchandise availability to service members and their families around the world,” said Chris Ward, spokesman for the Army and Air Force Exchange Service. Products affected include electronics, athletic footwear, men’s and women’s clothing, appliances, furniture, and more, he said.

Shortages of raw materials are especially affecting certain products, such as those that contain microchips, aluminum, glass and textiles, said Courtney Williams, spokeswoman for the Navy Exchange Service Command. Some of the brands that have been affected include Dyson, Whirlpool, Samsung, Charbroil and a number of beverage companies, she said.

Among other problems are shipping container shortages, COVID-related factory shutdowns, ongoing port congestion, port container capacity limitations, driver availability, and limited truck and rail capacity, Ward said. These shipping problems have also been plaguing the moving industry, affecting military families’ moves.

These are not short-term problems. No one knows when the shortage of products will ease, Williams said, “but in the area of shipping, the hope is some relief will occur by late 2022.”