Incoming Indo-Pacific Commander Nominee Aquilino
Philip Davidson, commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, has assessed that Taiwan is one of the Chinese Communist Party‘s ambitious attempts and that it faces a significant threat within six years; on the possible timetable for the Communist Party’s annexation of Taiwan, John Aquilino, the nominee to take over as Indo-Pacific commander, said on the 23rd, “The issue is more imminent than many people The issue is more imminent than many people understand.”
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-CA) asked Aquilino if the PLA’s season for attacking Taiwan would be better in mid-spring, and Aquilino said, “Yes, it’s certainly a better Time in terms of the walrus perimeter.”
As the U.S. Indo-Pacific commander is about to change hands, the former and former commanders testified before the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee this month and were both asked about possible scenarios for a Beijing invasion of Taiwan.
In response to Cotton’s inquiry, Aquilino said Beijing sees the annexation of Taiwan as its No. 1 priority, and that the issue of Taiwan is critical to the Communist Party of China at a time of its revival and survival; from a military perspective, it is certainly critical that Taiwan is at a strategic point that could affect two-thirds of global trade.
In the event of a conflict in Taiwan, Aquilino said, the United States, along with its allies and partners, would also be at risk.
If Taiwan is annexed by the Communist Party, Aquilino said it would pose two strategic problems, first, a potential threat to world trade, and second, damage the credibility of the United States in the minds of Asian allies such as Japan, South Korea and the Philippines.
If Beijing builds Taiwan into a military base and deploys warplanes and ships, Aquilino said, Beijing’s influence and the scope of competition expand, threatening U.S. allies and partners; as for the U.S. Navy’s mission of free navigation in the South China Sea, he said, the U.S. military will continue to perform, which certainly faces greater risks.
Davidson told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Sept. 9 that he was concerned that the Chinese Communist Party was accelerating its ambitions to replace U.S. world leadership by 2050, and that “Taiwan is one of those ambitions” and would face a significant threat within six years.
Aquilino said, “My view is that this issue is more imminent than many people understand, and we must act immediately and urgently in the short term to build deterrence capabilities such as the Pacific Deterrence Initiative (PDI).”
The Indo-Pacific Command recently reported to Congress that it will increase the budget for the Pacific Deterrence Initiative from $2.2 billion in fiscal year 2021 to $4.6 billion in fiscal year 2022, with an expected investment of $27.3 billion over the next five years; it intends to deploy the SHIELD missile defense system, tactical radar and other military facilities in Guam and Palau to strengthen defense.
In his written response to questions on Taiwan, Aquilino said the U.S. can help avoid miscalculation by maintaining forward deployment, deterrence capabilities, demonstrating continued support for the Taiwan Relations Act, including arms sales to Taiwan, deepening ties with democratic Taiwan, and advocating for like-minded allies and partners.
Aquilino reiterated the United States’ longstanding commitment to assist Taiwan in maintaining adequate self-defense capabilities in accordance with the three U.S.-China Joint Communiqués, the Taiwan Relations Act, and the Six Assurances.
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