Pentagon & Congress Prepare to Stop Chinese “Blockade” of Taiwan

by Kris Osborn, President, Center for Military Modernization

The Pentagon is working closely with Taiwan to develop deterrence strategies and countermeasures in response to a possible Chinese blockade of the island, wherein the PRC uses its large Navy, hypersonic weapons and ballistic missiles to essentially “block” any allied forces from defending Taiwan.

Such a prospect has been on the minds of Pentagon thinkers for quite some time, and now the US Congress shares the concern and is directing the Pentagon to send a report to several Congressional committees outlining the “risks and implications” of a sustained military blockade of Taiwan by China.

“The report shall include the method China is most likely to use to impose a blockade; an identification of indications and warnings of a potential sustained blockade of Taiwan by China; and the likely timelines associated with such indications and warnings,” a report from Taiwan’s Central News Agency states. “It should also include an assessment of the impact of such a blockade on the ability of Taiwan to sustain its self-defense capabilities, economy, and population.”

Military Dimensions to a Blockade

A large-scaled PLA Navy surface warship formation could present significant obstacles for any force hoping to defend Taiwan, in large measure due to the range and nature of the sensors and weapons it operates. For instance, multiple Chinese and western news reports have discussed the PLA Navy’s successful test-launch of its deck-fired YJ-21 hypersonic weapon. Should the PLA Navy operate with a margin of superiority in the realm of hypersonics, then US Navy surface platforms may indeed be challenged to breakthrough a PRC perimeter. Should China have an advantage in the area of hypersonic weapons, some Pentagon observers have expressed concern that the PRC might wish to move quickly to exploit this deficit while there is one. The US Is quickly closing the gap by developing its own hypersonic missiles and plans to have surface destroyers armed with hypersonic weapons in just the next few years.

The PLA Navy would likely employ its emerging fleet of newer surface warships to include its growing fleet of Type-055 quasi-stealthy, high-tech destroyers, Type-075 amphibious assault ships and aircraft carriers. The PLA-Navy is already making progress with its third carrier and has demonstrated “dual-carrier” operations in the Pacific wherein the PLAN seeks to emulate or copy the well-established US Navy ability to coordinate a massive air-attack campaign from two aircraft carriers networked to one another.