TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, David Berger, warned that U.S. Marines are lacking in amphibious deployment capability, which would seriously hinder any military response in defense of Taiwan.

Speaking to Newsweek, Berger explained the Marine Corps’ ability to field Amphibious Readiness Groups (ARG) has been drastically reduced in recent years. If the U.S. military does not improve the situation, China will certainly exploit this shortcoming in a war for Taiwan.

According to Berger, the U.S. Marine Corp should be able to field three ARGs to different points across the globe at any given time. However, a lack of equipment, personnel, and financial resources means that only one ARG is ready for immediate deployment.

Given China’s ability to rapidly produce ships and amphibious military vehicles, this is a logistical concern that must be addressed if the U.S. military hopes to be able to respond rapidly and effectively in a crisis moment. “If amphibious ships are not available, we cannot rapidly provide self-sustaining crisis response services on behalf of the U.S., and our competitors will fill that gap," said Berger.

If the shortcoming is not addressed, and the U.S. Marine Corps is pressed to commit the majority of its amphibious vehicles and maintenance crew into service in the Taiwan Strait, the situation could have a ripple effect across the entire U.S. military and in multiple regions of the world.

Berger notes that after two decades of land-based wars in Asia, the Marine Corps is actively retuning its strategic focus for amphibious operations. Despite these concerns, the Major Commandant emphasized “the Marine Corps is more than capable of fighting and winning right now,” but there must be increased attention given to amphibious operations and cooperation with the U.S. Navy.

In February, Berger indicated that the Marine Corps is anticipating the deployment of a marine littoral regiment to islands near Taiwan by 2025.