Pre-emptive strike option
Mark Stokes pointed out the usefulness of submarines in the defense of Taiwan (“Taiwan’s debate on submarine expansion resurfaces,” Aug. 23, page 3).
The so-called “porcupine strategy” proposed by US Naval War College professor William Murray for Taiwan’s defense was purely defensive and reactive. For a small country like Taiwan, which could be overwhelmed quickly by the massive opening salvos of a surprise attack, defense strategy must include “pre-emption” and “retaliation” capabilities. As former US secretary of defense Donald Rumsfeld said in his farewell speech at the Pentagon, “Weakness is provocative.”
Only by making an attack on Taiwan prohibitively costly is it possible to prevent war. Under this concept, submarines, as well as mobile missiles and multi-mission-capable Blackhawk helicopters, are an absolute necessity.
Submarines, not necessarily large ones (in fact, small ones may work better and be less costly for Taiwan), could be rotated for patrol and surveillance, and pre-emptively deployed to mine Chinese naval harbors. Though carrying only a smaller complement of missiles, when aimed at a few large, important targets like coastal cities or large dams, these could be sufficient to deter an invasion.
Taiwan should seek to build its own submarines. This would require infrastructure development and cooperation with private industry. Though difficult, these kinds of economic activities are exactly what Taiwan needs to rejuvenate its economy, especially heavy and high-tech industries, and this could also keep these industries in Taiwan as the foundation for further domestic industrial upgrading. Taiwanese legislators, could find it difficult to resist industrial development and job creation in their constituencies.
With submarines, mobile missiles and Blackhawk helicopters, Taiwan could build up its active defense capabilities and deter attack.
However, given President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) goal of eventual unification and the friendly Taiwan-China relations, the above “wishes” would be very difficult to realize, even when the increasing cross-strait military imbalance in Beijing’s favor is evident.
SEBO KOH,
Publisher of Taiwan Tribune,Strongsville, Ohio
Could Asia be on the verge of a new wave of nuclear proliferation? A look back at the early history of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which recently celebrated its 75th anniversary, illuminates some reasons for concern in the Indo-Pacific today. US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin recently described NATO as “the most powerful and successful alliance in history,” but the organization’s early years were not without challenges. At its inception, the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty marked a sea change in American strategic thinking. The United States had been intent on withdrawing from Europe in the years following
My wife and I spent the week in the interior of Taiwan where Shuyuan spent her childhood. In that town there is a street that functions as an open farmer’s market. Walk along that street, as Shuyuan did yesterday, and it is next to impossible to come home empty-handed. Some mangoes that looked vaguely like others we had seen around here ended up on our table. Shuyuan told how she had bought them from a little old farmer woman from the countryside who said the mangoes were from a very old tree she had on her property. The big surprise
The issue of China’s overcapacity has drawn greater global attention recently, with US Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen urging Beijing to address its excess production in key industries during her visit to China last week. Meanwhile in Brussels, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen last week said that Europe must have a tough talk with China on its perceived overcapacity and unfair trade practices. The remarks by Yellen and Von der Leyen come as China’s economy is undergoing a painful transition. Beijing is trying to steer the world’s second-largest economy out of a COVID-19 slump, the property crisis and
As former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) wrapped up his visit to the People’s Republic of China, he received his share of attention. Certainly, the trip must be seen within the full context of Ma’s life, that is, his eight-year presidency, the Sunflower movement and his failed Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement, as well as his eight years as Taipei mayor with its posturing, accusations of money laundering, and ups and downs. Through all that, basic questions stand out: “What drives Ma? What is his end game?” Having observed and commented on Ma for decades, it is all ironically reminiscent of former US president Harry