Quote:
Originally Posted by Shuffle
Taiwan’s dependence on American suppliers and whims of American Congress is well documented. A lot of their shortages trace back to American government unwilling to sell cutting edge gear (afraid to anger China and Taiwan is largely considered compromised by Chinese spies at this point).
Getting old technology means even the arms manufacturers don’t have spare parts to sell after a few years.
The problem is compounded by US manufacturers seem to like selling big ticket items to Taiwan (m1 tanks and upgraded f16s and even f35s) that don’t really fit the need for asymmetrical capabilities most needed for defending the island. Taiwanese military is cognizant of this. They know their air superiority fighters, even if they get upgrades and F-35s that are superior to Chinese fighters, at most can a couple of days before being overwhelmed by sheer numbers. So they correctly deprioritize the trophy machines and quietly spend money on stinger missiles and other asymmetrical capabilities as part of the deal packages that include trophy machines.
I am not saying buying advanced weaponry is useless. They are just bad return on investment in terms of purely Taiwan’s capability to hold China back from a purely military perspective.
But military objective may be secondary for Taiwan. They have no real prospect of victory against China on their own. They just need enough capability to buy time. But that time is useless if they can’t get allies, namely US, to intervene.
That’s why I think it’s important for Taiwan to buy flashy American jets anyway. The jets serve two additional purposes that may be more important than the military objective of holding China back.
1. If China attacks, it will be American (made) jets getting shot out of the sky, dramatically increasing probability that US gets pushed to intervene
2. The probability US needs local allies to form a defense net with some offensive capability is increasing. By purchasing advanced jets and electronics warfare weaponry, Taiwan positions itself to become a de facto ally of Us, Philippines, Singapore, and Japan in what will amount to a containment net around China, elevating itself out of being a de facto protectorate of US.
These considerations aren’t unique to Taiwan. Saudi Arabia and Israel both have opted for American jets even when European suppliers offered comparable jets for lower prices in the past.
Last edited by grizy; 09-29-2020 at 02:53 AM.
