Print

Mail

wiki links

Submarines are key to defense, vice minister says

A sufficient number of submarines could reduce the Chinese threat along the Western Pacific and maintain an economic lifeline for Asian and Pacific countries, Vice Minister of National Defense Tsai Ming-shian (蔡明憲) said yesterday.

Tsai made the remarks at a seminar organized by the Institute for Taiwan Defense and Strategic Studies in Taipei on national defense capabilities.

Noting that Taiwan's northern and southern waters control the route where Chinese submarines enter and leave the Pacific, Tsai said that if China's submarines can go through these areas freely, the security of all marine transport in the Western Pacific will be threatened.

In his judgment, a strong submarine fleet would not only help stabilize the Taiwan Strait, but would also contribute to the regional security.

Tsai made the remarks against the backdrop of the defense ministry's efforts to gain support from the legislature for its special arms purchase budget plan worth NT$610.8 billion (US$18.23 billion).

Under the plan, the ministry hopes to buy six advanced Patriot anti-missile defense batteries, 12 P-3C anti-submarine aircraft and eight conventional submarines from the US.

However, Tsai stressed that good hardware should be accompanied by good strategies and tactics. Tsai said China is depending more and more on its navy, and if Taiwan can boast of a strong submarine fleet, it can become a powerful counterforce and make China's blockade of the country unprofitable, said.

No other weapons can have such a strong effect like submarines, Tsai stressed, quoting Hyman Rickover, father of the world's first nuclear-powered submarine, as saying that all the weapons used in wars are expensive, and cheap weapons seldom win wars.
This story has been viewed 2955 times.