The US Navy regularly conducts global war games to develop deterrence strategies against a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, aimed at making the nation “a very difficult target to take,” US Acting Chief of Naval Operations James Kilby said on Wednesday.
Testifying before the US House of Representatives Armed Services Committee, Kilby said the navy has studied the issue extensively, including routine simulations at the Naval War College.
The navy is focused on five key areas: long-range strike capabilities; countering China’s command, control, communications, computers, cyber, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and targeting; terminal ship defense; contested logistics; and nontraditional maritime denial tactics, Kilby said.
Photo: Huang Cheng-chia, Taipei Times
The navy is investing in and experimenting with new technologies in these areas, Kilby said, adding that he recently met with Indo-Pacific Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo and Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Stephen Koehler in San Diego to accelerate deployment.
Asked whether a US$13 billion aircraft carrier or uncrewed systems would be more useful for Taiwan’s defense, Kilby said he would prefer deploying drones in Taiwan.
“It’s a hard question to answer without qualifying questions, but if I could put those drones on Taiwan, I’d put them on Taiwan,” he said.
Photo: Huang Cheng-chia, Taipei Times
Also at the hearing, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth faced pressure from US Representative Don Bacon, who called for faster arms deliveries to Taiwan, citing the urgent need for sea mines and other defense systems.
The Pentagon is no longer just reviewing the matter, but taking active steps, Hegseth said.
He acknowledged that while previous administrations have pledged to shift focus to the Indo-Pacific region, “the department had not put in place” those changes.
In related news, President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday visited a National Police Agency counterterrorism training center in Taoyuan’s Sinwu District (新屋).
Lai praised the agency’s Special Operations Group after watching a team of students go through drills and inspecting their weapons and equipment.
A new 75m indoor shooting range would be added to the center and is expected to be completed by the end of the year, the agency said.
Nearly 60 members of the Special Operations Group conducted two assault training drills, including breaching a door with a BearCat G2 armored vehicle and a hostage rescue drill that included a simulated helicopter rappel.
The hostage rescue drill also involved the use of stun grenades to neutralize “kidnappers.”
The Special Operations Group is an elite, important unit, Lai said.
In addition to counterterrorism operations, the unit carries out high-risk operations in major criminal cases and specialized missions such as countersabotage and anti-hijackings, he said.
No one hopes for such incidents to occur, but the more proactive training is, the more people would feel secure and the more capable the nation could be in responding to challenges, Lai said.
RESPONSE: The transit sends a message that China’s alignment with other countries would not deter the West from defending freedom of navigation, an academic said Canadian frigate the Ville de Quebec and Australian guided-missile destroyer the Brisbane transited the Taiwan Strait yesterday morning, the first time the two nations have conducted a joint freedom of navigation operation. The Canadian and Australian militaries did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Ministry of National Defense declined to confirm the passage, saying only that Taiwan’s armed forces had deployed surveillance and reconnaissance assets, along with warships and combat aircraft, to safeguard security across the Strait. The two vessels were observed transiting northward along the eastern side of the Taiwan Strait’s median line, with Japan being their most likely destination,
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