US Navy Admiral Samuel J. Paparo, the commander of the US Pacific Fleet, said that China is certainly learning from the Ukraine War. Paparo said it is necessary to always be ready for a possible attack by China. He made the remarks on Monday at a panel discussion.
Last year, former Indo-Pacific Commander General Phil Davidson said that China could attack Taiwan within six years. Regarding this timeline, Paparo said that it is difficult to predict when China might attack as it involves many complex factors, but it is necessary to be alert and ready. He said he always operates under the notion of the “potential of conflict within our region within a couple of years” because of the incredible unpredictability of events.
Regarding how Taiwan’s armed forces need to upgrade their defense abilities, Paparo praised President Tsai Ing-wen and Taiwan’s defense minister and said they know which areas need to upgrade. If there is a war in the Taiwan Strait, Paparo said it would require an all-out effort in the Taiwan Strait, coastline and throughout Taiwan. He also said that Taiwan’s army needs to be agile and the whole society would need to be mobilized to defend Taiwan.