What should Taiwan do to stand a chance of resisting an invasion from China?

Retired admiral Lee Hsi Mina former military commander in Taiwan, warned that Taiwan’s army is not prepared for a possible Chinese invasionbearing in mind that defense spending is not always appropriately invested and that a fundamental change in the country’s defense strategy is necessary.

“It’s not smart to keep buying big, expensive padsHe said in an interview with Japan Times. Instead, read on Calls for faster implementation of the asymmetric warfare approach To counter various forms of PLA aggression, highlighting the need for a “denial strategy” to try to control access to the air and waters around Taiwan.

Lee, who served more than 40 years in the Taiwanese Navy and was Chief of Staff from 2017 to 2019, emphasized that Taiwan is not willing to deter, let alone repel, a Chinese invasion, at least not using the same tactics and systems as before. . “We really don’t stand a chance in an identical conflict with China.“So we need to make urgent changes not only in the type of weapons we have, but also in training methods, operational concepts and military doctrine in general,” he concluded.

With regard to the platforms, which are effective in conducting patrols and equipped with a high-precision attack capability, he indicated the need to maintain them to a minimum level for the main missions. “This was effective for a while, but since the Chinese economy began its rapid expansion a few decades ago, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army has grown stronger and more capable.with assets that vastly outnumber our air and sea fleets.

Instead, stress the importance Develop or acquire mobile and cost-effective combat capabilities” that can exploit geographic advantages and take advantage of enemy weaknesses while delivering maximum tactical impact with minimal effort.” That strategy will include Large stockpiles of low-cost precision-guided munitions, drones, fast attack craft and small landing craft.

Tensions rose last year after Beijing launched major military maneuvers in retaliation for then-Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei, in what some experts saw as a rehearsal for China’s invasion of the island.

The Allies urged Taiwan to adopt an asymmetric “porcupine strategy” that would make it more difficult for the Chinese army to invade, an argument bolstered by the robust defense that the much smaller Ukrainian forces faced against Russia. This strategy emphasizes purchasing relatively inexpensive mobile weapons systems and training civilians to fight.

During his time as a senior military official on the island, Lee helped draft the so-called Global defense concept As Taiwan’s main strategy to deter the PLA and, if necessary, defeat a full-scale invasion. He is currently a Principal Investigator Think tank Project 2049 Institute.

(With information from AFP)

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