The Institute for National Defense and Security Research (INDSR) on Saturday said that the best tactic to counter potential Chinese amphibious warfare using barges would be to cut off their sea-supply lines.
China has in recent years been manufacturing military-standard barges that are widely believed to be used in an amphibious attack to break through Taiwan proper’s line of defense at “red beaches”— beaches that are most suitable for landing operations.
Satellite imagery from foreign news media shows the latest development of China’s amphibious assault vessel at a shipyard in Guangzhou, which is a roll-off ship connected to a barge with enhanced pillars on it.
Photo: CNA
There is also a built-in road bridge that can be extended up to about 130m, the satellite imagery shows.
The Web site Naval News on Jan. 10 published an article saying that “the barge would act as a pier to allow the unloading of trucks and tanks from cargo ships.”
According to the institute’s previous evaluation, the transport capacity of such modified barges would be restricted by the complexity of amphibious operations under tough circumstances.
Cutting off sea-supply lines would be the optimal asymmetric warfare tactic, as the enemy’s first batch of landing troops would soon lose their combat capability, said the INDSR, which is affiliated with the Ministry of National Defense.
An analysis report from the Naval War College’s China Maritime Studies Institute said that Beijing has been providing technical guidelines to domestic shipyards since about a decade ago, with the aim of upgrading a large number of civilian ships to military standards.
Ray Powell, leader of Project Myoushu (South China Sea) at Stanford University, said that civilian roll-off ships are not ideal for amphibious operations, but they could still be used to transport troops at a large scale once Taiwan’s coastal defense is paralyzed.
The INDSR in a report published in 2023 said that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) would need to construct a curved, three-dimensional landing field that consists of the red beach, seaports and airports, if Beijing decides to initiate an amphibious attack.
However, the circumstances for the PLA to cross the Taiwan Strait and engage in amphibious landing remain difficult, and their military vessels and civilian ships are not capable of transporting enough troops and supplies, the report said.
Therefore, cutting off the PLA’s sea-supply lines would be an effective tactic, it said, adding Taiwan should nevertheless be aware that the PLA has made progress in adapting civilian ships to amphibious warfare.
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