Taiwan Military News, Reports, Data, etc.

[steel21]

Please don't post trash articles by economically illiterate and innumerate simpletons. This is just an exercise in "garbage in, garbage out." And the military "analysis" is of the same quality as the economics.

Indeed, none of these mofo with academic credentials has served as day in the military, commanded any formation or understand the systems engineering.

I work in the DC and there are fuckload of these morons running around like they are some combination of Gordon Moore, John Boyd and George C. Marshall.

Washington’s first priority must be shoring up

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. If China absorbed Taiwan, it would gain access to the island’s world-class technology,

1. Whatever you can get in terms of talent by conquering the island, you can get by paying the engineers 3X the salary. You can't get innovation on the end of a gun.

acquire an “unsinkable aircraft carrier” to project military power into the western Pacific, and gain the ability to blockade Japan and the Philippines.

2. The SCS sea islands can already do most of that. But why would the Chinese do that? The PRC is the largest, most robust and vibrant trading partner for JAP and PHI.

China has spent decades trying to buy reunification by forging economic links with Taiwan. But Taiwan’s people have become more

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than ever to

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their de facto independence.

3. The island has no determination at all. The real way to measure determination is looking at enlistment rates on Taiwan, and its dismal.

4. None of what these morons say makes a lick of difference, because all these displays and posturing are unsustainable. In another 10-15 years, China's economy will be 2X the size of the US, and no amount of missiles and FONOPs can change the imminent fiscal collapse in DoD spending.

Washington should instead deploy hordes of missile launchers and armed drones near, and possibly on, Taiwan. These forces would function as high-tech minefields, capable of inflicting severe attrition on a Chinese invasion or blockade force. China needs to control the seas and skies around Taiwan to achieve its objective, while the United States just needs to deny China that control. If necessary, the United States should cut funding for costly power-projection platforms, such as aircraft carriers, to fund the rapid deployment of loitering cruise missiles and smart mines near Taiwan.

5. High tech minefield. Been watching too many re-runs of Saving Private Ryan.

Finally, the United States should enlist other countries in Taiwan’s defense. Japan might be willing to block China’s northern approaches to Taiwan in a war; India might allow the U.S. Navy to use the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to choke off Beijing’s energy imports; European allies could impose severe economic and financial sanctions on China in case of an attack on Taiwan. The United States should try to convince partners to commit publicly to taking these types of actions. Even if such measures are not decisive militarily, they could deter China by raising the possibility that China might have to fight a multifront war to conquer Taiwan.

6. Japan: They are fence sitters. In their eyes, the US can always go home across the Pacific, China will always be next door.
EU has had enough of US, if current investment deals are any indication are pretty open to working with PRC at the cost of US. India, well what can I say, those guys are a hazard to themselves.

These guys are just straight delusional. I don't know what they teach in IR school, but apparently whole lot of theory and very little in way of strategy, economics and technology.

Sad, really.

I fully agree with you. If this is the best they can do, then its time to go home.

 

[Mr T]

Ambassador Chas Freeman is a veteran diplomat. He was the chief-interpreter for President Nixon when Nixon visited China in 1972. In this recent speech, he has given a nuanced view of the US-China-Taiwan relationships, both the history and the current state-of-affairs, as well as future implications.

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......

Thanks for that, weig2000. I found the article very interesting, if only as a window into how old school Sinophile diplomats like those from the Kissenger school of thought approach matters.

In his other articles he says China has a transactional view of foreign relations, and it appears he has the same attitude. He sees pretty much everything through the prism of the Sino-US rapproachment and how that helped counter the Soviet Union. Yet I'm not sure how far he recognises that one of the greatest problems with Sino-US relations now is that they have no mutual enemy and that the Nixon-Carter era was not built on mutual understanding and cultural/political affinity, rather it was a marriage of convenience.

I was also somewhat surprised by the inconsistencies in his article. On the one hand he writes about the success of legal fictions, yet on the other complains about continued US arms sales to Taiwan despite the Third Joint Communique. As he will appreciate, a diplomatic communique is not binding on a future administration. Also, whilst the 3rd JC mentioned a reduction of arms sales, it had no specifics about when or how that would happen. Then there's the fact that it was supplemented by the Six Assurances, which Freeman makes no mention of, and which Congress supported. In that respect US "promises" over reducing arms sales could be called a legal fiction as well, something that was done to officially placate Beijing, which could then turn a blind eye to Washington giving assistance to Taipei in the face of the increasing PLA build-up.

I found it interesting that Freeman also mentioned the Taiwan Relations Act, because the TRA was not the version that the US State Department originally wanted to pass. Congress has not always been as pro-Taiwan as it is now, but it would be fair to say it's been more Sinosceptic than people like Freeman. That has limited the ability of even tentatively Sinophile US administrations to just to do whatever it wanted.

There's also a smattering of victim-blaming, suggesting Taiwan has had "decades" to resolve relations with the PRC when Beijing would only talk with its government directly for 8 years since Taiwan's first democratic Presidential election in 1996 - and during those 8 years laid out no roadmap for unification or what Taiwan's legal situation would be post-unification. But I guess that goes back to his transactional view of foreign relations. He doesn't care about anything other than Sino-US relations, which at least is an honest position to take.

It's disappointing that he has no views of his own, at least that he's willing to share, about how the US should seek to revise relations with China. In that respect he's like the guy that writes letters to the New York Times saying "Dear Sir, how could X have been allowed to happen?" Well given that Taiwan is one of few bipartisan issues, it's fairly obvious how - because the US is increasingly reluctant to let China pursue non-peaceful means of unification, even if that means there could be a US-China conflict in the future.

 

[Gatekeeper]

what happened? Did I and few others here read a different article to another member here?

Anyway, here we are folks, you heard it here first.

As long as there is a change of Government or leadership, you do not need to honoured your pledges!

So all those things he accused CCP China not honouring like Hong Kong basic law, etc. Well, a change of leadership, my old fruit!

 

[timepass]

Taiwan’s CSBS Unveils New Frigate Design For ROC Navy​

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Taiwan’s largest shipbuilding company, CSBC Corporation held its investor’s conference on December 4, 2020. The image of a new Frigate (FFG) design was featured during the conference. CSBC revealed its plan to become the contractor of the Republic of China (ROC) Navy, Coast Guard and other government organizations.

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12 Dec 2020

Currently, the ROC Navy has a surface fleet composed of 4 Kee-Lung-class (formerly American Kidd-class ) destroyer, 10 Cheng Kung-class frigates (8 licensed ships based on US Oliver Hazard Perry-class, 2 purchased from US., 6 Kang-Ding-class (French-built La Fayette-class) frigates, 6 Chi-Yang class (formerly American Knox class) frigates, 12 Ching Chiang class patrol ships, 1 Tuo-Chiang class corvette, 31 fast attack missile crafts, 9 amphibious ships and 9 minesweepers. Most of the ships came into service between 1990’s and early 2000’s.

ROC Navy’s ambitious force building plan

The ROC Navy has been working on its future force building plans since 2014. The Force Building Vision for the Next 15 Years was revealed on January 2014, it included two Landing Platform Docks, 11 Tuo-Chiang class catamaran missile corvettes, 10 to 15 medium frigates (which is said to be 2,000 tons class ), four destroyers equipped with advanced air defense systems.

In September 2014, the ROC Navy Headquarters unveiled a more detailed ship building plan for the coming 20 years, which includes four 10,000-ton class destroyers equipped with advanced air defense systems (believed to be replacement for the aging Kee-Lung-class), 10 to 15 3,000-ton class frigates, Landing Platform Docks and four to eight 1,200 ton to 3,000 ton Diesel-electric submarines.

In April 2016, Taiwanese President-elect Tsai Ing-wen vowed to fully support Indigenous Defense Submarine (IDS) project after taking office, but her party also realized that it is impossible to fund everything that navy wants. Finally, the IDS and advanced jet trainer became top priority. The surface force of the navy didn’t get much attention.

In June 2016, the ROC Navy announced a 12-item force building plan, then Chief of staff of Navy, Vice admiral Mei Chia-shu (梅家樹), told Legislators that the Navy intends to complete the plan within the coming 22 years. 47 billion New Taiwan Dollar (1.5 billion USD) budget will be used for the plan. Admiral Mei also said that no Aegis warship will be built in the next year.

ROC Navy’s new missile frigate

CSBS Image

Taiwan tried to develop an indigenous air defense warship since the 1980s. The ship’s air defense system was named Advanced Combat System (ACS), but the development didn’t succeed. The project was terminated in the mid-1990s. A new missile frigate design was revealed in June 2016 and was said to be based on the concepts of ACS.

There were two similar ships shown in the ROC Navy vision of 2016. One was the the “New Generation Missile Frigate”, the other one, the “New Generation Main Battle Ship” (later called New Combatant by CSBC).

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“ROC Navy vision 2016” document. Left: “New Generation Missile Frigate” (on which the new design is based).
Right: The “New Generation Main Battle Ship”.
ROC Navy images.

Recent Taiwanese media reports showed that the Navy is in the dilemma of equip the smaller ship with imported combat systems which are smaller, or equip the larger ship with indigenous large sized combat systems.

Navy officials told Legislators that the ROC Navy is planning the develop a 4,500-ton frigate which is capable for patrolling the Taiwan Strait, escorting the supply ship to remote islands and securing sea lanes of communication. The budget allocated budget would be 24.5 billion New Taiwan Dollars budget and 7 years would be needed for project completion. The ship would be equipped with locally designed and produced surface-to-air missiles, anti-ship missiles and combat systems.

However, Taiwanese Legislators probably don’t have confidence in the Navy’s plan. One governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator said, according to current available information, the Navy plans to develop a 4,500-ton frigate which is equipped with 4 ESA radar antennas, a 24-cell VLS, but the U.S. is developing the Constellation-class frigate, a 7,500-ton ship equipped with 3 ESA radar antennas and a 32-cell VLS. The ROC Navy shall think carefully whether they can really develop the ship or not.

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[Blitzo]

There's also a smattering of victim-blaming, suggesting Taiwan has had "decades" to resolve relations with the PRC when Beijing would only talk with its government directly for 8 years since Taiwan's first democratic Presidential election in 1996 - and during those 8 years laid out no roadmap for unification or what Taiwan's legal situation would be post-unification. But I guess that goes back to his transactional view of foreign relations. He doesn't care about anything other than Sino-US relations, which at least is an honest position to take.

It's disappointing that he has no views of his own, at least that he's willing to share, about how the US should seek to revise relations with China. In that respect he's like the guy that writes letters to the New York Times saying "Dear Sir, how could X have been allowed to happen?" Well given that Taiwan is one of few bipartisan issues, it's fairly obvious how - because the US is increasingly reluctant to let China pursue non-peaceful means of unification, even if that means there could be a US-China conflict in the future.

I think it's a bit more than that (referring to the part of your reply which I underlined).

Continued US support to enable Taiwan to defend itself is pretty much a given, and I don't think that is what Mr Freeman is concerned at.

It's more about how much US is willing to enable Taiwan to try and salami slice and make moves closer towards the "de jure independence" side of the spectrum.
IMO what he's saying is enabling Taiwan to defend itself and/or seeking to give it greater geopolitical cover, while the current government in Taiwan is also seeking to alter the prior status quo in a direction edging towards "de jure independence" and potentially edging towards a Chinese red line, is not something that the US has properly thought through.



WRT "resolving relations" -- IMO there is probably a school of thought here likely underlying his belief that the ball was in Taiwan's court to try to resolve relations with the mainland given the sheer disparity in power that has only grown over the decades, understanding that the nature of realpolitik and power politics means the underlying balance of power of any sort of negotiations will not be in Taiwan's favour or on "equal terms" to begin with.

Whether that constitutes "victim blaming" depends on whether ones opinions on the nature of international relations and geopolitics.

 

[timepass]

Taiwan launches first improved Tuo Chiang-class fast missile corvette
by Gabriel Dominguez



Taiwan’s Lungteh Shipbuilding has launched the first improved variant of the Tuo Chiang (also spelled Tuo Jiang) class of fast missile corvettes for the Republic of China Navy (RoCN).

Named Ta Chiang (pennant number 619), the vessel entered the water in a ceremony held on 15 December at the company’s facility in Suao, southern Yilan County, that was presided over by Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen.

Taiwan’s Lungteh Shipbuilding launched on 15 December Ta Chiang, the first improved Tuo Chiang-class fast missile corvette on order for the RoCN. (Via Tsai Ing-wen’s Twitter account)

The president said Taipei aims to build a total of six of these improved ships by 2023, with up to five additional ones expected to be built thereafter.

Developed under the Hsun Hai programme, the Tuo Jiang-class vessels are designed to provide the RoCN with a high-end, asymmetric means to defeat amphibious landing and capital ships.

As Janes reported, the corvettes, which feature a wave-piercing catamaran hull form, waterjet propulsion, and a low radar cross-section (RCS) design, are meant to assume responsibility for the lower intensity maritime security missions currently undertaken by the service's larger and more-expensive destroyers and frigates in peacetime, while providing an affordable but effective asymmetrical counter against an adversary's larger warships.

Ta Chiang (also spelled Ta Jiang) is the first series-produced vessel of the class and features several enhancements over first-of-class Tuo Chiang – which was commissioned in late 2014 – in terms of weaponry, mission systems, and design.

Taiwan’s Central News Agency (CNA) quoted the RoCN as saying that Ta Chiang



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[zgx09t]

It's quite pathetic to see these deep greens showing their learnt helplessness. At the same time, it's very enjoyable to hear them dripping in self soothing chatty nervous babbles doing mental back flips and legal diplomatic, etc etc, tea readings.
Here is something to help you calm down: Taiwan is Chinese. Mainland is adding entire wanwan GDP ,and then some, each passing year to the equation. You have a working plan to change that equation?

 

[Gatekeeper]

Here is something to help you calm down: Taiwan is Chinese. Mainland is adding entire wanwan GDP ,and then some, each passing year to the equation. You

You hit the nail on the head. I feel this is something the likes of our friend here and in the western world in general doesn't get.

They see Taiwan as a piece of dispensable barganing chip to play politics with. And even though some sees it as a genuine wider conflict between good (democracy-although it didn't stop their support when it was under authitarian rule) and the bad (commies).

But that is all it is. It's never about self determination that they try to dress it up as. If it was, Catalan would have got their independent by now.

But all these just show how little do they understand the Chinese psychi on this. China and all the people calling themself Chinese do not see it as any of the above. It is simply a matter of sovereignty.

And all the time it is separated, it reminds Chinese the world over how much foreigners have wronged China in the past. And the more the foreigners (Let's face it, in today's world, it's not foreigners, it's the U.S. only) trying to prevent reunification, the more determined the Chinese are for reunification.

In the end, there's really only going to be one outcome. So Taiwan should be planning to get the best of that outcome. But instead under the English vegetable leadership, they are working their way into getting the worse of that outcome.

 

[escobar]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1348003985530056704

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1348017690003312642

 

[Skywatcher]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1348003985530056704

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1348017690003312642

Biden's almost certainly going to roll it back.