Beijing is now suspected of being behind this week’s deliberate harassment that damaged some of the island nation’s undersea internet connections, raising more worries about a Chinese invasion of Taiwan.
The internet outage in Taiwan showed important ramifications for Taiwan’s national security and was annoying for locals and tourists.
Although there is no concrete proof that China intentionally cut the internet cables, the incident has reignited discussion about what an attack on Taiwan may entail and whether the U.S. could effectively halt it.
In general, U.S. war simulations that simulate a Chinese takeover of Taiwan feature a massive amphibious assault that aims to swiftly and effectively surprise the island and its international allies.
A Chinese land invasion would likely elicit retaliation from other regional U.S. partners, making this assault expensive and potentially fatal for all parties involved. President Biden has stated that he will send soldiers to confront the Chinese invasion.
Nevertheless, it has also raised concerns about whether the U.S. can confront China with a conventional kinetic attack similar to the present conflict in Ukraine.
Retired General Jack Keane, a senior strategic expert for Fox News, claimed that China had a military advantage. They outnumber the United States regarding ships, aircraft, and offensive and defensive missiles.
The United States would probably run out of long-range precision-guided missiles within a week, according to a war game conducted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) earlier this year that simulated what would happen after an amphibious attack on Taiwan by the People’s Republic of China.
The U.S. only has one military advantage, according to Keane, who noted that despite having that advantage, the country still required more of these specialist submarines.
According to U.S. defense sources, Chinese President Xi Jinping is claimed to have scheduled an assault for 2027; nevertheless, Keane contended that this style of warfare was unlikely to be how China would carry it out.
“A more probable scenario would be a blockade or quarantine of Taiwan where China would strive to control the skies, as well as the sea lanes, and seize control of it without firing a shot,” said the retired four-star general.
One U.S. Pacific Air Forces commander stated this week that China has repeatedly sent jets and navy ships off the island to harass and frighten Taiwan. This will be crucial in preventing China from attacking Taiwan kinetically.
Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach told reporters on Wednesday at the Air & Space Forces Association Combat Symposium in Colorado, “You saw when Speaker Pelosi traveled to Taiwan what [China] did with their ships. They were placed on Taiwan’s eastern side as a form of the blockade.
He said, “We’ve got to sink the ships,” as reported by Military.com.Uncertainty exists on how the United States might react to a blockade on Taiwan or a gradual occupation of smaller islands connected to Taiwan.
According to Keane, “[it places] the onus on the adversary, in this case, Taiwan, the U.S., and our allies,” adding that the deterrence principle would play a significant role.
We must strengthen our power to discourage, he remarked, explaining the situation. “We want to do it to stop a war,”
According to Keane, the U.S. would need to dramatically increase its arms production, weapons stockpiles, and the development of advanced missile systems like hypersonic missiles to successfully discourage China from starting a conflict that would involve two major superpowers.
Yet, he continued, the U.S. must also arm Taiwan more effectively and pay off the present backlog of weapons it owes the island.
Taiwan could never beat the Chinese military alone, but Keane said they could put Beijing through hardship. “Taiwan has already bought military equipment, leaving us with a $19 billion backlog.”
He added that Taiwan doesn’t require assistance purchasing military hardware; they have the resources to do it.
