Navy upbeat about Kidd warships purchase plan

After four Kidd-class guided-missile destroyers are bought from the US, the navy plans to develop a new self-defense tactic which will require help from the US military in times of conflict, a defense source told the Taipei Times yesterday.

The tactic involves the patrolling of waters off the east coast by the four Kidd destroyers, in close proximity to areas with a US military presence, the source said.

"The tactic will work in times of both peace and war. During peace, the Kidds will stay out of reach of any of the anti-ship missiles the Chinese military has in service," he said.

"During war, the Kidds will move into the Taiwan Strait, entering from the north and south. The US ships stationed in the region will follow the Kidds to provide logistics support as necessary," the source said.

"Some sort of military alliance is to be formed between Taiwan and the US through the implementation of the navy's new self-defense tactic."

The new tactic also falls in line with concepts related to the "offshore engagement" strategy, a new defense strategy promoted by President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁).

It is said to be the brainchild of Navy Commander-in-Chief Li Chieh (李傑), who is desperate to prove to Chen that he has the capability to become the next chief of the general staff.

Li was widely expected to succeed General Tang Yao-ming (湯曜明) as the chief of the general staff in February, but the post did not become open because Chen extended Tang's term by one year. The extension put the scheduled reshuffle among the top brass on hold, making Li's initially clear-cut chances of promotion increasingly unsure.

An army general, who spoke on condition of anonymity, cast doubts over the feasibility of the navy's proposed new tactic.

"The plan is workable only under one condition -- that the US agrees to form a military alliance with Taiwan should China invade. We do not know yet whether the US will agree to the idea," he said.

"For the moment it's only the navy's wishful thinking. They tend to be overly optimistic."

Despite doubts from the other services, the navy appears determined to put the new self-defense concept into practice following the deliveries of the four Kidd ships.

To speed up the delivery process, the navy sent a delegation to the US last Friday to make the necessary arrangements.

A port construction project is also underway at Kaohsiung's Tsoying military port to accommodate the Kidd destroyers, which will become the largest fighting ships in the navy.

The four Kidds have a displacement of over 9,000 tonnes each, much larger than any warship currently in service.