Ukraine experience shows that surface to air missile systems are crucial to defend critical infrastructure: capitol, industrial areas, power plants, military bases etc Paying for Patriot especially PAC-3 MSE with improved ABM performance makes sense to defend against missiles from China.
To deter sea invasion, Taiwan has good indigenous anti-ship and cruise missiles. I hope they stock up the magazines and build more hidden and dispersed launchers.
They should develop drone tech (sea and air) for low cost denial and attacks in straits and beyond. Sub drone tech would be better than few conventional submarines.
Once a hot, land war starts 155mm artillery (especially guided munitions) will be important.
Small arms ammunition is of likely of least concern. Possibly the war will be lost logistically long before much of the infantry engagement can happen due to destruction of infrastructure and sea blockade.
Obviously. China in the sense of the country, thus government. Not just that, but that alone is disgraceful enough. Politics covers everything from human rights to environment to food to global issues. So yes, not being able to speak up and help change the county’s direction and improving all aspects of life is pretty fucking bad.
US friendly Taiwan? Based on trade? Taiwan investment in the US? Ease of Taiwanese working in the US? American racial harmony towards Asians..well non Europeans? How many Taiwanese have US backed forces killed? Oh, conveniently they washed their hands of them just before the event and then joined hands with them again soon after. Didn’t the US sell out Taiwan at the UN too? US friendly?
Maybe if they were buying from NK or Russia… I think Taiwan would load up on advanced subs and F-35s, even at a significant premium, if the US would sell them.
We know this to be true, because instead they are using the money and effort to build their own. But why? Those would be just large and expensive targets full of people. China has way more subs now than Taiwan ever will, and even with a qualitative advantage Taiwan subs won’t last long in a hot war. Drones and missiles would be more useful, but lack the prestige
Oh great. So I don’t like the traffic situation in Taiwan. Neither do I like the severe lack of pedestrian sidewalks. The homelessness situation outside Taipei Main Station and increasingly other stations needs to be rectified. The air pollution is physically detrimental at times. Taiwan voicing support for Apartheid Israel. I could go on. So who should I vote for and more importantly, HOW LONG should I wait for improvements? Or does me just voicing them ensure improvements on the matter? I imagine Taiwan being a democracy now these things will be promptly addressed? Is that how it works? And I imagine in non democracies, they live in mud huts and eat grass because only democracies care about living conditions, air quality etc. and a lot of these things aren’t universal?
PH being corrupt surely adds to the US licking their lips and being able to meddle in their affairs. Pity they’re not closer to Europe or the US could’ve also dangled EU membership in front of the PH to goad them into following their deranged strategy.
I was always wondering how Taiwan Army was going to use tanks in Taiwan dense cities and mountainous terrain. I guess they could interdict landing forces.
A lot of maintenance issues are due to lack of spare parts from US.
I hope they succeed in putting HF-III on IDF fighter.
More money should go to such indigenous weapon development programs to better insulate Taiwan military capabilities from politics.
Argentinians sunk British destroyer during Falklands war using Exocet modified for air launch even though French disabled the warhead.
Tanks (for the defender) are particularly useful and deadly in urban environments. Put enough of them plus caches of low-tech conventional weapons and you’ve got yourself the potential to start a guerrilla war that could last for years.
The last ingredient though, if a willing populace, which seems to be lacking at the moment.
Tanks (for the defender) are particularly useful and deadly in urban environments.
Yes, but tanks are expensive compared to other anti-tank weapons and emplacing them in a static position is wasting their mobility and weaponry (stabilisation systems)
They really are designed for combined arms assaults.
Put enough of them plus caches of low-tech conventional weapons and you’ve got yourself the potential to start a guerrilla war that could last for years.
Yes. The Swiss defence model. The problem is China, once gotten a foothold, could saturate Taiwan with troops not leaving much space for guerilla warfare.
The last ingredient though, if a willing populace, which seems to be lacking at the moment.
Even if Taiwan population would want to fight, it would be a brutal and bloody.
Deterrence via standoff weapon platforms and sea denial is the best solution.
In my opinion, I wouldn’t call the people there that docile. Nor necessarily patriotic. They can get pretty extreme, and are extremely religious, thus amplifying their extremism. Been there many times when there has been armed fighting. Shops with armed guards everywhere. Maybe that’s why the 2 countries get along so well…?
I remember taking my mom through eastern borneo while filipino militants were taking over towns and kidnapping people. We were stopped and inspected MANY times. Malaysian military wasn’t too happy about it. Granted, that’s south Phillipines. But it’s a more or less common threat. Kidnapping, extortion, gun violence, insane levels of religious oppression. Not what I consider docile, patriotic nor easily led. More like Asian cowboys.
China has been a security threat to Taiwan since 1949. In the years from ~1996 till a few years ago, so basically during the time I have been paying attention, I’ve never really considered China a real threat to “invade”.
Nowadays, I’m personally feeling that it is inevitable, and that it could occur within “years”. There’s the multiple reference to Xi wanting their military to be ready for an assault by 2027.
Does anyone know if the current “threat” (i.e. Xi Jinping seemingly very serious about taking Taiwan) is any more or less serious than what we’ve been seeing these last 70+ years? How does it compare? Is it the same-old hysterics or is the current vocal commitment to getting things done meaningfully more serious?
