The Taiwan Strait: The Race for Sea Control

Abstract

The People's Republic of China (PRC) desires to unify the Republic of China (ROC) into "One China" by peaceful means. Recently, the PRC's Anti-Secession Laws warn of armed conflict against the ROC in the event of any move towards independence. The PRC will use the lack of strategic depth and key physical characteristics of the Taiwan Strait to launch a surprise attack in an attempt to reclaim the island nation. PRC military action to subjugate Taiwan will focus on sea control in the Taiwan Strait. Once temporary local sea control in the Taiwan Strait is established, it will be the U.S. Seventh Fleet that will attempt to defeat, deny, and deter the PRC's military forces. Moreover, the ability of the U.S. Seventh Fleet to engage the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) in a battle for sea control is questionable, due to superior numbers of PLAN undersea warfare assets and the Seventh Fleet's lack thereof. As a result, the most effective course of action would be a pre-emptive strike on the PRC before they can launch their own, against the ROC.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 13, 2006
Accession Number
ADA463311

Entities

People

  • Joseph W. Alden

Organizations

  • Naval War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Air Forces (Foreign)
  • Air Power
  • Boats
  • Marine Transportation
  • National Security
  • Naval Operations
  • Naval Warfare
  • Navies (Foreign)
  • Navy
  • Sea Control
  • Undersea Warfare
  • Uss Cole
  • Uss Kitty Hawk
  • Uss Lassen
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Asian Economic Studies
  • Maritime and Naval Warfare Studies
  • Strategic Security Studies