Strengthen Resistance for Defense: The Importance of Unconventional Combat Strategies for Taiwan

Headline: Taiwan and US Shift Defense Strategy Towards Asymmetric Warfare Amid "Decade of Maximum Danger"

Taiwan is preparing for a potential Chinese invasion by adopting a civilian-centered defense strategy that emphasizes guerrilla warfare tactics and technological innovation. This strategy aims to counter China's overwhelming military capabilities by integrating the population into national defense and leveraging Taiwan's technological strengths.

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In the face of increasing tensions with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Taiwan is developing a civilian defense force concept that empowers civilians as distributed defenders. This approach calls for decentralizing drone production and dual-use infrastructure, enabling widespread citizen participation in defense. Taiwan draws lessons from Ukraine's civilian drone innovation and Israel's integrated civil preparedness.

Guerrilla warfare tactics are central to Taiwan's evolving military doctrine. The strategy emphasizes dispersed urban defense and guerrilla actions, such as turning civilian vehicles, buildings, and urban features into potential firing or ambush positions. This would slow and harass any PLA ground advance, using ambushes, sabotage of logistics, and low-intensity persistent conflict designed to erode morale and stretch Chinese supply lines.

Taiwan's military modernization also includes the development of concealed ground-based missile systems, encouragement of internal defense industry growth, and integration of cyberwarfare as a key element of asymmetric defense. The US supports this approach by providing adaptable, commercial-grade defense technologies and fostering a democratic model of civil-military cooperation.

Taiwan has announced a 14 percent increase in defense spending, and Robert Tsao, founder of one of Taiwan's leading semiconductor manufacturers, plans to spend over $30 million to fund the training of three million "civilian warriors" over the next three years. However, concerns remain about Taiwan's readiness to counter Chinese counterinsurgency tactics and the need to cultivate guerrilla-style resistance forces.

The US and Taiwan should make available US doctrine manuals on subjects like guerrilla warfare, improvised munitions, and unconventional warfare, updated for the digital era. Resistance forces can use covert and overt blockade-running capabilities, by sea and by air, using autonomous ships, unmanned aircraft systems, disguised platforms, and other smuggling techniques.

Propaganda and social media will play a crucial role in garnering international support for Taiwanese resistance forces. Units should be well-versed in using large quantities of asymmetric weapons and capabilities, underpinned by communications capabilities with low probability of detection and interception. Resistance forces should also be able to draw from stockpiles and caches of munitions, missiles, drones, and launchers, and have some capacity for organic force reconstitution.

In the event of an invasion, the United States Marine Corps is theoretically well-positioned to aid Taiwan, through physical operations and cyber and information operations. Taiwan has created a system of underground bases and tunnels, safe houses, hide sites, shelter areas, and mountain refuges, not to mention bunkers along the coastlines. Taiwan has mostly accepted the need to shift to a "porcupine strategy" to deter a potential Chinese invasion, focusing on asymmetric capabilities and weapons like antiship missiles and mines.

However, concerns remain about the brutality that could result from Chinese counterinsurgency tactics and the need for Taiwan to be ready to document, disseminate, and publicize any such actions. The CCP might employ counterinsurgency tactics similar to those used in Xinjiang, Hong Kong, and Tibet, focusing on hard power and imposition.

In conclusion, Taiwan and the US are prioritizing building a civilian defense force and preparing guerrilla and cyber tactics to maximize asymmetric resilience against China’s conventional military advantages. This strategy combines technological innovation, decentralized civil involvement, and urban guerrilla strategies to strengthen Taiwan's deterrence and defense capabilities.

Strengthen Resistance for Defense: The Importance of Unconventional Combat Strategies for Taiwan