US President George W. Bush has announced that the US will withdraw between 60,000 and 70,000 troops stationed overseas over the next decade, representing the US' greatest military redeployment since the end of the Cold War. Although the US has repeated that there will be no changes to its security commitments, this country would do well to pay attention and formulate early responses to the effects that the redistribution of US troops will have on international, Asia-Pacific and even cross-strait security.
With the development of modern weapons and tactics, the size of military deployments is no longer the vital issue. Troop mobility and impact are now keys to victory on the battlefield. The US' current strategic goals are focused on striking against terrorism and restricting China from becoming a great military power. Although Bush still has not made public any details of the pullback, he has pointed out the need to redeploy large numbers of troops in areas where the wars of the previous century have ended. Clearly, this means that the focus of troop redeployment will be Europe. The Asia-Pacific will also be affected, but due to the military tension on the Korean Peninsula and in the Strait, these areas will probably not see too much change.
There are two major island chains in the region -- the first forms a line through the Kurile Islands, through Japan, Taiwan, Guam, the Philippines and Indonesia; the second forms a north-south line from the Kuriles through Japan, the Bonins, the Marianas, the Carolines and Indonesia.
The US will likely cut down troop deployments in South Korea and along the "second island chain" while improving military capabilities in order to build a deterrent force. In case of military tension in the Asia-Pacific region, the US will be able to use its military flexibly, both for purposes of attack and defense. China and North Korea will be the targets of this force. For Taiwan, located in the first island chain, this development would seem to leave it more exposed, with the country acting as a shield for US forces in Guam and Hawaii. But it could actually improve the country's overall security, to the extent that it makes Taiwan's role even more critical to regional security, and so strengthens the country's alliances.
In response to the developing military situation, Taiwan should increase its defensive capabilities. Only if the country shows China that it can both defend itself and also counterattack will the country inhibit China from using force to "unify" Taiwan. Even if the worst happens and a conflict erupts between Taiwan and China, this nation must have the defensive capability to hold off the aggressor until international forces can intervene to re-establish peace across the Strait.
To achieve this, the first step is to strengthen the country's defensive capability. In addition to procuring submarines, anti-submarine aircraft and Patriot missiles, the nation should also aggressively seek approval to purchase AEGIS-equipped destroyers, now that the US is considering including this item in its arms sales to Taiwan. The country should actively seek admission to the Theater Missile Defense network. In this way Taiwan can establish itself as an integral link in Asia's regional defense.
In addition, Taiwan should actively seek inclusion into international security networks in Asia to play a role in assuring regional security. The nation should purchase intelligence-gathering equipment to improve its capability in this area, taking advantage of its position in the center of the first island chain to collect information on military deployments in China. This intelligence capability would allow for expanded information exchanges between the first and second island chains. This will serve as a foundation of Taiwan's national defense. It will also put the nation in a position to provide the US, Japan and other countries with key information when necessary, making it an active member of a cooperative regional defense network.
Concerns that the US might abandon Taiwan are often overstated. While US President Donald Trump’s handling of Ukraine raised unease in Taiwan, it is crucial to recognize that Taiwan is not Ukraine. Under Trump, the US views Ukraine largely as a European problem, whereas the Indo-Pacific region remains its primary geopolitical focus. Taipei holds immense strategic value for Washington and is unlikely to be treated as a bargaining chip in US-China relations. Trump’s vision of “making America great again” would be directly undermined by any move to abandon Taiwan. Despite the rhetoric of “America First,” the Trump administration understands the necessity of
US President Donald Trump’s challenge to domestic American economic-political priorities, and abroad to the global balance of power, are not a threat to the security of Taiwan. Trump’s success can go far to contain the real threat — the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) surge to hegemony — while offering expanded defensive opportunities for Taiwan. In a stunning affirmation of the CCP policy of “forceful reunification,” an obscene euphemism for the invasion of Taiwan and the destruction of its democracy, on March 13, 2024, the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) used Chinese social media platforms to show the first-time linkage of three new
If you had a vision of the future where China did not dominate the global car industry, you can kiss those dreams goodbye. That is because US President Donald Trump’s promised 25 percent tariff on auto imports takes an ax to the only bits of the emerging electric vehicle (EV) supply chain that are not already dominated by Beijing. The biggest losers when the levies take effect this week would be Japan and South Korea. They account for one-third of the cars imported into the US, and as much as two-thirds of those imported from outside North America. (Mexico and Canada, while
I have heard people equate the government’s stance on resisting forced unification with China or the conditional reinstatement of the military court system with the rise of the Nazis before World War II. The comparison is absurd. There is no meaningful parallel between the government and Nazi Germany, nor does such a mindset exist within the general public in Taiwan. It is important to remember that the German public bore some responsibility for the horrors of the Holocaust. Post-World War II Germany’s transitional justice efforts were rooted in a national reckoning and introspection. Many Jews were sent to concentration camps not
RSS