War on the Rocks – In October 1884, as part of the wider Sino-French War, a contingent of heavily armed French warships sailed toward the harbor of Tamsui, in northern Taiwan. When the fleet approached the estuary of the Tamsui River, nine naval mines and boats loaded with stones blocked its path. Prevented from sailing into Taipei, French commanders dispatched their marines, but they fared little better. After several hours of fighting on land they were driven back into the sea. Today, Taiwan again faces the threat of invasion — this time from China. As Taiwan’s leaders consider their defensive options, the Battle of Tamsui may also hold answers.

Eurasian Times – The Taiwanese military is considering purchasing 200 units of an uncrewed surface vessel (USV) that can be used for multiple purposes. These range from a target drone to one armed with interchangeable modules for reconnaissance, surveillance, electronic intelligence (ELINT), and warheads for attack purposes. 

War on the Rocks – In crowded field of work by scholars and officials exploring Taiwan’s security, Lee Hsi-ming’s Taiwan’s Plan for Victory: An Asymmetric Strategy of Using the Small to Control the Large (2022) stands out as both a theoretical framework for deterrence and a set of concrete proposals for asymmetric resistance against a People’s Liberation Army invasion. Lee, Taiwan’s chief of the general staff from 2017 to 2019, argues for reorganizing Taiwan’s military in a “paradigm shift” away from expensive “traditional” platforms and instead instituting an “Overall Defence Concept” relying on small, mobile, distributable, and lethal weapons to deter a numerically and materially superior People’s Republic of China. If deterrence fails, “overall defense” also promises the tactics and weapons to survive an initial attack and then, Lee claims, defeat an enemy landing force.

The Guardian – Taiwan on Tuesday drove away a Chinese coast guard boat that entered waters near its sensitive frontline islands, one day after China’s coast guard boarded a Taiwanese tourist boat amid an escalating dispute sparked by a fatal capsize last week.

War on the Rocks – For peace to be likely in the Taiwan Strait in the 2020s, Taiwan and its friends will need to take radical action to develop short-term constraints on Chinese action but also look for ways to encourage internal restraint among Chinese decision-makers, something that will require recognizing practically what the Department of Defense has recognized theoretically: that if China comes to view the evolution of the status quo in increasingly negative terms, its incentives not to use force are correspondingly reduced.

Naval News – On 16 January 2024, Taiwan started construction of a new light frigate for the Republic of China Navy (ROC Navy or Taiwanese Navy). This new class of vessel specializes in anti-submarine warfare.

The Messenger – James Holmes writes that what naval strategists such as yours truly call “sea denial” in the Strait is chiefly — though not exclusively — a job for the Taiwan Army.

War on the Rocks – While the United States should develop the capability to deter and defeat a Chinese amphibious invasion, that scenario remains a low probability. What’s more, Taiwan is under assault day in and day out through the types of intimidation, boundary probing, and coercion described above. The discussions on and preparations for deterring a direct attack or blockade cannot come at the expense of the types of investments needed to ensure Taiwan’s continuing resiliency and confidence. 

Naval News – The U.S Navy represent the pinnacle of submarine technology. With a few notable exceptions, this is not exported. Now Taiwan, which has unveiled its first locally designed submarine, is relying on some key elements of American tech.

BBC – Taiwan has unveiled its first domestically-made submarine as it bolsters its defences against a possible Chinese attack.

Covert Shores – In parallel to the full-sized Indigenous Defense Submarine (IDS), Taiwan is building a much smaller submarine. The Huilong design is a midge submarine intended for testing, It will be armed with torpedoes however.

(Thanks to Alain)

War Zone – Taiwan’s HF-2E land-attack cruise missile has reportedly been in service for more than a decade, but has never been seen publicly.

Naval News – The updated design of Taiwan’s New Light Frigate is larger and heavier in order to accommodate more weapon and sensor systems…

RAND – 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. In that framework, a country’s ability to withstand such an attack depends on four variables: political leadership and social cohesion, military effectiveness, durability, and military intervention by an ally. The authors then use that framework to assess Taiwan’s capacity to resist an attack by China for 90 days — a posited minimum amount of time required for the United States to marshal sufficient forces to carry out a major combat intervention in East Asia. An accurate assessment of Taiwan’s ability to withstand a large-scale attack by China could help U.S. decisionmakers and planners better anticipate and respond in such a situation.

USNI News – Taiwan’s Republic of China Navy is facing two looming threats from China and has been struggling to create a force structure to handle both. First, the ROCN must be able to meet the risk of a potential full-scale invasion by the People’s Republic of China. Second, it has to confront the constant grey zone activities carried out by Chinese forces that are harassing Taiwan’s borders on a daily basis.

Focus Taiwan – A prototype of Taiwan’s first domestically manufactured submarine is set to undergo final tests in September.

(Thanks to Alain)

Naval News – Taiwan is set to start construction of two 2,500-ton Light Frigates in June following a contract awarded to a local shipbuilder this month.

Taiwan English News – Taiwanese UAV manufacturer Thunder Tiger (8033.TW) has revealed a new autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) designed to enhance Taiwan’s defense capability.

(Thanks to Alain)

Focus Taiwan – A prototype of Taiwan’s first locally built submarine is set to be completed for testing in September, marking a milestone in the nation’s Indigenous Defense Submarine program.

(Thanks to Alain)

War Zone – With tensions in the Taiwan Strait remaining high, we look at how Taiwan’s armed forces would prepare to face a Chinese invasion.

War Zone – Taiwan’s biggest locally built warship is the first of a new class of landing platform docks and part of an ambitious modernization program.

Navy Recognition – According to information published by CNA on July 12, 2022, the Taiwanese Indigenous Defense Submarine (IDS) is expected to be launched in September.

(Thanks to Alain)

Naval News – Taiwan’s naval shipbuilder China Shipbuilding Corporation (CSBC) started the official sea trials of the country’s first ever indigenous landing platform dock (LPD) named “Yu Shan” (玉山 named after the tallest mountain in Taiwan) on July 6, 2022.

1945 – James Holmes writes that the prospect of seeing a few Yun Feng missiles lobbed into Beijing would neither deter nor defeat a PLA onslaught. Deploying Yun Fengs to help pummel an invasion fleet could do both.

War Zone – Taiwan’s brand new minelaying ships are training to employ the U.S.-designed Mk 6 naval mine, which was designed in 1917.