MILITARY / APRIL 23, 2024
Navy Missiles and the Defense of Taiwan: Part 1
There are tradeoffs to using American missiles to defend allies. Namely, there are fewer for us.
Missiles have been much in the news with Iran’s attacks on Israel either directly or through its proxies. Missiles have played a dominant role in this conflict. Modern missiles have phenomenal capabilities for both offense and defense. This has become increasingly self-evident against the types of attacks employed by Iran and its level of technology. Ship defense missiles will play an even more prominent role in any future conflict. While war with Russia, Iran, or even the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is possible, the more likely threat is a war with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) over Taiwan, a war of missiles. The PRC alone has military forces to challenge U.S. might and the ambition and will to do it. The Chinese have been preparing for this conflict for a very long time. They consider it their destiny to rule the Pacific and then the world. Will the U.S. be ready for such a war?
Despite the future threat from the PRC, the U.S. has generously provided significant military aid to Israel, including putting our own forces and personnel in harm’s way on behalf of our ally. Understandable as those laudable efforts are, Americans must be aware that the extensive use of missiles in Israel’s defense may have a negative impact on our ability to defend our own interests in the future. One report estimated that the U.S. had already used 300 missiles in Israel’s defense. Days ago, Navy Secretary Del Toro testified before Congress that the U.S. has expended $1 billion in munitions to defend Israel since the October 7 Hamas attack. He stressed those missiles must be replaced. It takes approximately two years to build our more advanced missiles, and our industrial base is already at maximum production capacity. The more missiles we expend to help defend Israel, the lower our inventory for our own future defense.
PRC President Xi Jinping has made it a top national policy to reunify Taiwan with China as the first step in the domination of the Pacific. If that happens, 24 million free Taiwanese citizens will fall into slavery. And the world’s most advanced microchip expertise and manufacturing will be dominated by China to the detriment of the rest of the world. Taiwan dominates the world in both the science of advanced microchips and their production. The modern economy of the world increasingly depends on advanced microchips. Taiwan produces over 50% of the world’s microchips and virtually all the most advanced chips. Xi sees the conquest of Taiwan as part of his legacy. U.S. military leaders predict that a conflict could be coming as early as 2027. The threat to Taiwan is elaborated in “The Looming Taiwan Challenge For The US, Japan And The West” and “Taiwan In China’s Crosshairs.”
https://patriotpost.us/articles/106197-navy-missiles-and-the-defense-of-taiwan-part-1-2024-04-23
