The US Navy regularly conducts global war games to develop deterrence strategies against a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, aiming to make it "a very difficult target to take," said US Admiral James Kilby, acting chief of naval operations.
The US Navy has studied the issue extensively, including routine simulations at the Naval War College in Rhode Island, Kilby told the US House of Representatives Armed Services Committee on Wednesday.
The navy is focusing on five key areas: long-range strike capabilities; countering China's C5ISRT, or command, control, communications, computers, cyber, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and targeting); terminal ship defense; contested logistics; and nontraditional maritime denial tactics, Kilby said.
Photo: Screen grab from the US Navy’s Facebook page
The navy is investing in and experimenting with new technologies in these areas, he said, adding that he recently met with US Admiral Samuel Paparo, commander of the Indo-Pacific fleet, and US Admiral Stephen Koehler, commander of the Pacific fleet, 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 that he would prefer deploying drones.
"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.
US Representative Don Bacon urged US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who was also at the hearing, to accelerate arms deliveries to Taiwan, citing its need for “sea mines, Harpoon missiles” and other defense systems.
The Pentagon is no longer merely reviewing the matter, but it is taking steps to address it, Hegseth said.
He acknowledged that while previous US administrations pledged to shift focus to the Indo-Pacific region, "the department had not put in place" those changes.
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