Former US defense official Elbridge Colby has written an article in the Wall Street Journal proposing a four-part strategy for defending Taiwan.
The article, called “America Can Defend Taiwan”, says that Taiwan has a crucial geographic position. It says if this position is lost to China, Beijing will be able to project military power across Asia, giving it regional hegemony and bringing it closer to its goal of world domination. Colby also writes that partners in the Asia-Pacific will measure the United States’ credibility and reliability based on how it responds to Chinese aggression towards Taiwan.
Colby then proposes four steps the US can take to counter this Chinese aggression.
The first step involves monitoring Chinese airfields and harbors. This would allow the US to lock on to Chinese units in the event of conflict.
The second involves purchasing more long-range weaponry, especially those that can be used against warships, and positioning them both at sea and in places such as Guam, the Philippines, and Japan. This would allow the US to weaken an initial wave of Chinese amphibious warfare ships and warplanes sent against Taiwan.
The third step would require the US to station powerful reinforcements around the Pacific. The final step involves regular exercises involving these monitoring mechanisms, weapons, and reinforcements to send a message to China that a successful attack on Taiwan will not be easy.