The US Army and Taiwan, and uncertain destiny

 

What role for the army?

If you have any interest in the long-term peace and stability of the planet, you are probably looking with considerable concern at Taiwan. It is all too likely that the our next major war will break out there should Xi’s China decide to invade the place.

There is a very interesting article over on the War On The Rocks webpage on the topic that more than deserves a glance. In “The Uncomfortable Reality of the U.S. Army’s Role in a War Over Taiwan,” Jacquelyn Schneider looks at the role the United States Army might have should such a war breakout. It is a more complicated issue than you might think. We know what the Navy and the Air Force would do in a Sino-Taiwan conflict. Dr. Schneider also has a few words about what the Marine Corps might do.

But the Army? That’s a puzzle. She notes that stationing large numbers of American troops on Taiwan might deter China from invading in the first place — but that would come at the cost of withdrawing forces currently defending South Korea, or getting ready to defend Ukraine. Moreover, if stationing troops on the island didn’t deter China, then it might actually spur China to act sooner rather than later. 

It is, indeed, a complicated problem and Dr. Schneider does an excellent job of spelling out the many different ramifications. Let us hope that someone equally clever comes up with a solution that leaves the Pacific at peace without abandoning America’s friends and allies.

~mjt

Source: “The Uncomfortable Reality of the U.S. Army’s Role in a War Over Taiwan,” by Jacquelyn Schneider, War On The Rocks, Nov 30, 2021, https://warontherocks.com/2021/11/the-uncomfortable-reality-of-the-u-s-armys-role-in-a-war-over-taiwan/

Copyright©2021 Michael Jay Tucker