TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Acting Chief of Naval Operations James Kilby said Wednesday the US regularly holds simulations to develop strategies that will deter a Chinese invasion of Taiwan.
Kilby told the House Armed Services Committee this includes global war games held at the US Naval War College, per CNA.
He outlined five focus areas for the Navy:
- Long-range firing
- Countering China’s tracking abilities
- Terminal ship defense
- Contested logistics
- Nontraditional sea denial
The latter includes research initiated by Indo-Pacific Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo during his tenure as Pacific Fleet Commander “to make Taiwan a very difficult target to take.”
Kilby said the Navy is investing in these focus areas. He recently met in San Diego with Paparo and Pacific Fleet Commander Stephen Koehler to discuss how to accelerate development of these technologies.
Representative Seth Moulton asked Kilby whether he would prefer to have one aircraft carrier or US$13 billion (NT$385 billion) of unmanned systems to defend the Taiwan Strait. Kilby replied that without specific parameters, it was hard to answer, "But if I could put those drones on Taiwan, I'd put them on Taiwan.”
