Can Taiwan Resist a Large Scale Military Attack by China? Assessing Strengths and Vulnerabilities in a Potential Conflict

Abstract

Taiwan remains an important potential flashpoint between China and the United States. Given the geographic distance between the United States and Taiwan and the military challenge of defeating a major attack by China, an accurate assessment of Taiwan's ability to sustain a defense can be a critical factor for U.S. decisionmakers and planners. In this report, the authors develop a framework for assessing a country's capacity to resist a large-scale military attack. They then use that framework to assess Taiwan's capacity to resist an attack by China for 90 days the amount of time plausibly required for the United States to marshal sufficient forces to carry out an intervention in East Asia.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 01, 2023
Accession Number
AD1204632

Entities

People

  • Eugeniu Han
  • Sale Lilly
  • Timothy R. Heath

Organizations

  • RAND Corporation

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Cyber
  • Energy and Power Technologies
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Readers

  • Asian Economic Studies
  • Military History / Militaries and War Studies
  • Systems Analysis and Design