U.S. Posture in the Pacific: Creating Concerns for the Future Defense of Taiwan
Abstract
As China has grown into a major economic power, internal unrest has led to the weakening of the Communist Party. The re-unification of Taiwan with the mainland would serve as a means to promote a sense of nationalism and restore the power of the government. History has demonstrated that the People's Republic of China will not hesitate to use force against Taiwan. It has also shown that the United States will be quick to intervene on behalf of the Taiwanese. While a crisis in the Straits of Taiwan may not be the immediate threat to national security, it does pose the greatest potential for a large-scale conflict between near-peer nation-states with global impact. The proposed force structure in the Pacific, as well as the continuing strain of ongoing combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan are leaving the United States short-handed in the Pacific and ill-equipped to engage allies in the region, both militarily and diplomatically. As the United States military reduces its footprint in Korea and Japan, it will become more dependent on other nations in the region to provide access to smaller, more expeditionary bases. The United States must be willing to allocate more assets of national power to engagement in the Western Pacific if it wishes to maintain its role as a regional power and be adequately postured to defend Taiwan.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 11, 2008
- Accession Number
- ADA487236
Entities
People
- Michael J. Majewski
Organizations
- National Defense University