Protecting Taiwan against a Chinese invasion is an urgent mission that requires the United States to up its game in the Pacific, experts recently told Congress.
“America’s ability to defeat a coercive attack conducted by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) against Taiwan continues to shrink,” retired Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery said in his testimony recently during a hearing of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party.
Addressing that requires urgency, said retired Army Gen. Charles Flynn, who until last year commanded U.S. Army forces in the Pacific, according to the Washington Times.
“The threat of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan is no longer distant or theoretical,” he said. “The urgency to restore credible deterrence in the Indo-Pacific has never been greater.”
Flynn said deterrence must focus on keeping the People’s Liberation Army from landing.
“If the PLA Army fails to land and hold terrain, the invasion fails. Even if we sink their ships and down their planes, if they seize the island, they win,” Flynn said in his prepared remarks.
Flynn said that “the United States’ window for strategic decision-making is closing. China is moving quickly to ready their armed forces to seize military initiative in crisis, and consequently we must accelerate our own preparations.
“We must prioritize the training readiness, modernization, and organization of our armed forces towards our Nation’s most critical global threat — China, and specifically to counter their cross-Strait invasion plans,” he said.
“It is imperative that the United States approaches China’s challenge with urgency, clarity, and resolve,” he said in his prepared testimony.
Will the United States and China go to war?
China has said that self-governing Taiwan, which became the refuge of China’s government in 1949 after the Communists won the nation’s civil war, is rightfully part of its country.
China’s military regularly stages drills that appear to be practicing tactics for a potential invasion of the island, which has strong U.S. military support.
Montgomery told the panel that in addition to a traditional military scenario, the U.S. must be prepared for a combination of cyber warfare and an economic blockade, the Times noted.
“I think Beijing will want to force Taiwan’s capitulation through less drastic methods, like a comprehensive pressure campaign that targets the financial, energy and telecommunication sectors,” he said.
Montgomery said those tactics might not work by themselves, but said that “information operations and deception run by the Chinese Communist Party will absolutely weaken Taiwan’s societal resilience when you combine it with the other tools, cyberattacks, economic pressures, energy pressures, cutting off communications with magical anchor drops on cables.”
“When you combine that all together, it’s that cohesive, comprehensive attack that breaks societal resilience,” he said.
Former Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said protecting Taiwan will require a broad-based commitment of resources and planning.
“Taiwan’s future is deeply intertwined with America’s own — our economies, technologies, and societies are inextricably linked — making a strong and secure Taiwan a vital U.S. strategic interest,” Campbell said in his prepared testimony.
“Meeting this moment requires a whole-of-government approach. Congress, the Executive Branch, and civil society must all play an active role in deepening engagement with their Taiwan counterparts. This includes deepening our defense and economic partnerships with the Taiwan government, supporting Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations, and expanding educational, cultural, and scientific exchanges,” he said.
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