Taiwanese must develop the resolve to work together to defend the nation, former chief of the general staff admiral Lee Hsi-ming (李喜明) said, while proposing a “homeland defense force” to provide small-arms training to the public.
The strategy would help discourage the Chinese Communist Party from attempting to invade Taiwan, Lee told the Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper) in an interview published on Saturday.
Taiwanese generally have become more concerned about national defense and security after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, he said, adding that Ukraine’s routing of the Russian military in its capital, Kyiv, and the recent start of its counteroffensive in eastern Ukraine show that asymmetric warfare can effectively counter an invasion.
Photo: Chang Chia-juei, Taipei Times
“What has impressed me most about Ukraine is that Ukrainians’ willingness to fight is greater than that of Russians,” he said.
“Taiwanese must overcome their ideological differences and show a willingness to unite in the defense of the country,” he added.
Lee said the persistence of the Taliban, and its indomitable will to fight, eventually resulted in pushing the US out of Afghanistan, which showed that it was possible to defend against a much more powerful military.
If the government provides drones, anti-armor rockets, grenades and other small arms to the general public during an invasion, along with training on how to use them, Taiwanese could help the military resist a Chinese attack, he said.
Statements from CIA Director William Burns and former head of the US Indo-Pacific Command admiral Philip Davidson that China would attempt an invasion of Taiwan by 2027 were “not opinions,” but based on assessments made on intelligence that should be taken seriously, Lee said.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) would want to fulfill ideas laid out in his vision of the “Chinese dream” before his expected third term ends in 2032, and part of that would include greater aggression by the Chinese military, Lee said.
“Taiwanese must not think about whether China will attempt invasion, but instead about when it will attempt to invade,” he said.
The government must start preparations by buying large numbers of smaller arms suitable for asymmetric warfare, which it appears to be doing, as it passed a special budget for the procurement of weapons systems that would enhance sea and air-combat capabilities, he said.
Despite the huge gap in defense resources across the Taiwan Strait, Taiwan could effectively defend itself if it aims not for air and sea control, but air and sea denial, he said.
Citing the US’ reform of its Marine Corps, which are transitioning from a focus on sustained land operations to be a naval expeditionary force, Lee said Taiwan’s military must anticipate defense needs and begin preparations as soon as possible.
CHIPMAKING INVESTMENT: J.W. Kuo told legislators that Department of Investment Review approval would be needed were Washington to seek a TSMC board seat Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) yesterday said he received information about a possible US government investment in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and an assessment of the possible effect on the firm requires further discussion. If the US were to invest in TSMC, the plan would need to be reviewed by the Department of Investment Review, Kuo told reporters ahead of a hearing of the legislature’s Economics Committee. Kuo’s remarks came after US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick on Tuesday said that the US government is looking into the federal government taking equity stakes in computer chip manufacturers that
NORTHERN STRIKE: Taiwanese military personnel have been training ‘in strategic and tactical battle operations’ in Michigan, a former US diplomat said More than 500 Taiwanese troops participated in this year’s Northern Strike military exercise held at Lake Michigan by the US, a Pentagon-run news outlet reported yesterday. The Michigan National Guard-sponsored drill involved 7,500 military personnel from 36 nations and territories around the world, the Stars and Stripes said. This year’s edition of Northern Strike, which concluded on Sunday, simulated a war in the Indo-Pacific region in a departure from its traditional European focus, it said. The change indicated a greater shift in the US armed forces’ attention to a potential conflict in Asia, it added. Citing a briefing by a Michigan National Guard senior
POWER PLANT POLL: The TPP said the number of ‘yes’ votes showed that the energy policy should be corrected, and the KMT said the result was a win for the people’s voice The government does not rule out advanced nuclear energy generation if it meets the government’s three prerequisites, President William Lai (賴清德) said last night after the number of votes in favor of restarting a nuclear power plant outnumbered the “no” votes in a referendum yesterday. The referendum failed to pass, despite getting more “yes” votes, as the Referendum Act (公民投票法) states that the vote would only pass if the votes in favor account for more than one-fourth of the total number of eligible voters and outnumber the opposing votes. Yesterday’s referendum question was: “Do you agree that the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant
ENHANCED SECURITY: A Japanese report said that the MOU is about the sharing of information on foreign nationals entering Japan from Taiwan in the event of an emergency The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday confirmed that Taiwan and Japan had signed an agreement to promote information exchanges and cooperation on border management, although it did not disclose more details on the pact. Ministry spokesman Hsiao Kuang-wei (蕭光偉) said the ministry is happy to see that the two nations continue to enhance cooperation on immigration control, in particular because Taiwan and Japan “share a deep friendship and frequent people-to-people exchanges.” “Last year, more than 7.32 million visits were made between the two countries, making it even more crucial for both sides to work closer on immigration and border control,” he said. Hsiao
RSS