U.S. Navy Conducts War Games to Deter Chinese Invasion of Taiwan
The U.S. Navy regularly conducts global war games to develop deterrence strategies against a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, aiming to make the nation “a very difficult target to take,” U.S. Acting Chief of Naval Operations Admiral James Kilby said on June 11.
Testifying before the U.S. House Armed Services Committee, Kilby said the Navy has studied the issue extensively, including through routine simulations conducted at the Naval War College.
Admiral Kilby said the Navy is prioritizing five key areas: (1) long-range strike capabilities; (2) countering China’s command, control, communications, computers, cyber, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and targeting (commonly known as C5ISR-T); (3) terminal ship defense; (4) contested logistics; and (5) nontraditional maritime denial tactics.
The Navy is actively investing in and testing new technologies in these areas, Admiral Kilby said, adding that he recently met in San Diego with Indo-Pacific Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo and Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Stephen Koehler to accelerate their deployment.
When asked whether a US$13 billion aircraft carrier or uncrewed systems would be more effective in defending Taiwan, Kilby said he would favor drone deployment. “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.”
Also during the hearing, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth faced pressure from Representative Don Bacon (R-NE), who urged faster deliveries of arms to Taiwan, emphasizing the urgent need for sea mines and other critical defense systems.
Hegseth responded that the Pentagon is no longer merely reviewing the matter but is now actively taking steps to address it.
Sources:
[1] Focus Taiwan
[2] Taipei Times
U.S.–Taiwan Energy Cooperation a Priority for President Lai
A high-profile Taiwanese delegation visited the United States to attend the Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference from June 3 to 5, highlighting President Lai Ching-te’s commitment to strengthening Taiwan–U.S. energy cooperation.
The delegation was led by Presidential Office Secretary-General Pan Men-an and included Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs Lai Chien-hsin, along with CPC Corporation Chairman Fang Jeng-zen, representing Taiwan’s state-owned petrochemical company.
In his remarks at the summit, Pan emphasized that, as a responsible member of the international community, Taiwan is bothwilling and able to contribute to the advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) and the reindustrialization of the United States.
He noted that Alaska, with its abundant natural resources, plays a crucial role in providing power-generation resilience for end-users in the Indo-Pacific region. He also highlighted Taiwan’s readiness to work with the U.S. in building a supply chain decoupled from Chinese sources.
As the functional equivalent of the White House Chief of Staff, it is rare for Taiwan’s Presidential Office Secretary-General to lead a delegation on behalf of the president — underscoring the high priority President Lai places on energy collaboration with the United States.
President Lai has made increasing imports from the U.S. and encouraging Taiwanese investment in the U.S. key pillars of his strategy to advance bilateral relations.
Before attending the conference, Pan and his delegation visited the site of a major liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Alaska’s North Slope along with several senior U.S. officials, including Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy, and U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK).
The Taiwan Presidential Office stated that the warm and prominent reception of the Taiwan delegation reflected the U.S.’ emphasis on strengthening energy security through collaboration with international partners.
“Taiwan is going to expand procurement from the US of industrial and agricultural products, as well as natural gas,” President Lai said in March at the Hsieh Nien Fan banquet hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan (AmCham Taiwan).
During the banquet, Lai told the visiting Alaskan Governor Dunleavy that “Alaska is a source of high-quality natural gas, and its relatively short distance from Taiwan facilitates transportation. So we are very interested in buying Alaskan natural gas because it can meet our needs and ensure our energy security.”
