Ukraine and its war against the occupying Russian forces demonstrate to Taiwan how smaller armed forces can successfully defend themselves against larger ones. This was stated by the U.S. Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, during hearings in the Senate on May 16, as reported by Alarabia News.
Responding to questions about strategies for defending self-governing Taiwan against a possible attack from China, the Minister of Defense stated that the United States had “learned a number of important lessons from the war between Ukraine and Russia.”
“One of these lessons is that with asymmetric capabilities and asymmetric tactics and methods, smaller forces can indeed defend themselves well against larger forces,” he said.
Austin added that the ability to withdraw weapons from U.S. stockpiles and provide them to Taiwan, as is the case with Ukraine, is “crucial in our efforts to ensure that Taiwan has what it needs for self-defense.”
NOTE: The Republic of China (Taiwan) is recognized as a sovereign state by 17 countries. Prior to its defeat by the communist regime of Mao Zedong in the Chinese Civil War, it controlled the entire territory of China. Since 1949, it has only controlled Taiwan and several small islands. The People’s Republic of China (PRC) considers Taiwan as its province and expresses a desire for “peaceful reunification.”
Taiwan declares its readiness to resist with armed force in case of invasion. Taipei enjoys strong military and political support from the United States, despite the absence of official military ties, and also receives support from Japan, Australia, Canada, and European countries. Ukraine considers Taiwan de jure as part of the People’s Republic of China.
On April 8, 2023, China initiated military exercises aimed at surrounding Taiwan after a meeting between the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy, and the President of the Republic of China.
On the same day, Republican Michael McCaul stated that the United States may deploy its troops to Taiwan if the PRC invades. On April 12, Chinese leader Xi Jinping ordered the military to focus on military training to be prepared for ‘real combat operations’.