The US government should help Taiwan acquire diesel-electric submarines as quickly as possible, according to a new foreign policy analysis by the conservative Heritage Foundation.
“It is in US security interests to ensure that Taiwan maintains a sufficiently robust defense that it can deter Chinese aggression,” the analysis written by senior research fellow Dean Cheng (成斌) said.
The analysis said that Beijing is becoming increasingly assertive throughout East Asia.
“The relatively quiet state of the Taiwan Strait may well change after the 2016 Taiwan presidential elections, particularly given likely Chinese reaction to a Democratic Progressive Party victory,” Cheng said.
He added that recent central Chinese government actions toward Hong Kong have probably torpedoed any prospect of the so-called “one country, two systems” approach that Beijing has long offered to Taiwan.
Cheng urged the US Congress to direct the Department of State to immediately allow US corporations to enter discussions with their Taiwanese counterparts about designing and selecting sources for the diesel-electric submarines.
He also said that the US government should allow US-based shipbuilders and weapons manufacturers to cooperate with Taiwanese corporations in assessing Taiwan’s capabilities and to offer bids on sensors and weapons systems for the subs.
“At the same time, the US should allow the sale of additional submarine-launched Harpoon missiles,” Cheng said.
The US should also encourage other manufacturers of conventional submarines to cooperate with Taiwan, Cheng wrote.
“The prospect of Japan engaging in arms sales and specifically the export of submarines to Australia raises the possibility of additional, non-traditional suppliers who might be additional sources of either submarine technology or even completed boats,” Cheng wrote.
“The US, as Taiwan’s best and often only friend, should help Taipei acquire an underwater force, which would benefit not only Taiwan, but America’s defense posture in the western Pacific,” he said. “To this end, the US should provide options that enable Taiwan to meet its requirements in the most cost-effective way possible.”
Cheng wrote that given the relative weakness of China’s anti-submarine warfare capabilities, submarines would pose a significant threat to any amphibious force used in an attempted invasion of Taiwan.
He said that Taiwan would have great difficulty building its own submarines without help, because the nation’s shipbuilders have no experience building such vessels, which entails working with specialized steel and integrating a variety of sensors and weapons in ways very different from the construction of surface ships.
The analysis comes as Georgetown University assistant professor in security studies Oriana Skylar Mastro published an essay saying that China’s increasing military strength might shape its interests in regional security objectives.
“China could become confident in its ability to achieve its objectives by brute force alone,” she wrote.
“The implications for the US and its regional allies and partners are uncertain,” Mastro said.
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