![]() ![]() One option to attack the man-made islands would be to send in teams of US Marine Raider commandos to destroy weapons systems. But that would require strikes on China’s mainland, “with all the enormous risks of escalation that could portend”. “The only truly reliable way to counter the threat would be to attack the submarines in port when they refuel and rearm,” he writes. The US would be challenged by a powerful Chinese fleet in the region.īrooking Institution’s Michael O’Hanlon writes that the location of China’s new fleet of attack submarines could act as a deterrent to US military escalation. Should a war break out around the South China Sea, the US would be under pressure to quickly neutralise the roughly 10 man-made islands China has created (seen as “unsinkable aircraft carriers”) to use as military bases. The US believes China has about 2000 mid-range missiles in place, which could ward off the US Navy in a conflict.Ĭhina’s nuclear weapons are estimated to number between 200 and 350, a mere 5 per cent of the United States’ arsenal, but potentially enough to deter broader conflict through the prospect of mutual destruction. “The PLA’s missile forces are central to China’s efforts to deter and counter third-party intervention in a regional conflict,” a US congressional report concluded this month. The 100,000-strong Rocket Force was made a separate branch of the People’s Liberation Army in 2015. Rockets figure heavily in Beijing’s arsenal. The structure of the military is also different. Its army is now deploying troops to Africa for peacekeeping missions that give first-hand experience in conflict zones after decades of relative peace. US soldiers, some seen here at a military exercise in Morocco earlier in June, have been deployed to battles across the world for the past 50 years. While these have been costly, they also provided invaluable combat experience. The US military has been racking up decades of in-the-field experience, most recently with deployments in Afghanistan and Iraq and the Middle East. Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said on June 3 that Taipei did not anticipate a conflict was going to break out any time soon, “but we are trying to get ourselves ready”. Despite its 1.9 million-strong army, compared to Taiwan’s cohort of 150,000, the task of taking its island neighbour and holding it is a mammoth military challenge. Possibly completely different.Ĭhina would have to launch an amphibious invasion, deploying troops along its beaches as the first step in a march towards the capital Taipei. Yet if China wanted to conquer Taiwan, the outcome could be different. ![]() In a matter of minutes, Beijing’s Rocket Force could cripple Taiwan’s military, infrastructure and ports. If China chooses to attack the island of Taiwan, the United States could be helpless to stop it.īy the time the People’s Liberation Army launches its third volley of missiles at the island Beijing considers a breakaway province, the US could be just learning of the attack. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size ![]()
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