Alongside advanced weapons, the nation’s defense strategy should take advantage of Taiwan’s geographical characteristics to bolster its asymmetric warfare capabilities, the Institute for National Defense and Security Research said.
The Ministry of National Defense has increased its supply of precision ammunition in recent years, but should also devise strategies that take better advantage of the nation’s geographical characteristics to lengthen the engagement in the event of a conflict with China, the institute said in a report released on Aug. 7.
Taking into account the nation’s defense strategy, its limited resources and its geostrategic environment, and giving consideration to cost effectiveness, the military could make use of long-range precision weapons to “use terrain to control the sea and the sky,” the report said.
If China were to attack, it would put Taiwan under time pressure, so the military should try to take advantage of the nation’s geography to prolong the fighting and control the course of the battle, it said.
For example, firepower could be installed in low mountain passes that are easily guarded and hard to attack, it said.
Installations in fish farms, farmlands, coastal areas, and towns and cities throughout the nation could also all be used by the military in the event of a conflict, it said.
The report also suggested supplementing existing forces with anti-aircraft missiles, anti-tank missiles or rockets, small and large-caliber sniper rifles, and other high-efficiency weapons, it said, adding that soldiers could be trained in a larger variety of weapons to increase their effectiveness.
A source yesterday said that the military was already training new volunteer officers and soldiers in a variety of tasks and weaponry, and that every soldier could now handle two or more types of weapons.
It has also begun to take account of wartime-usable terrain throughout the nation once per season, the source said.
The ministry has procured shoulder-mounted FIM-92 Stinger infrared homing surface-to-air missile systems from the US to improve its anti-air capabilities, the source said.
It also plans to purchase Harpoon anti-ship missiles from the US, M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) rocket launchers and M109A6 Howitzer tanks, the source said.
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