"Walter Russell Mead is sympathetic to the Taiwanese ("In Taiwan, a Shaky Status Quo Prevails," Global View, Nov. 22, WSJ), but he nevertheless exposes the persistent fecklessness of their government's defense policy, whose bottom line is that the island should be defended by others while Taiwan's youth can continue to play video games. Instead of the glittering uniforms of its generals, surface warships that can't survive a day and combat aircraft useless without their hypervulnerable runways, Taiwan should long ago have acquired a serious territorial defense as other small and vulnerable countries have done.
These days, as all know, fighters on foot with hand-carried missiles can be formidably effective against helicopters, low-flying aircraft and landing craft.
It would require some effort and the new missiles are expensive, but with Taiwan's $540 billion in foreign-exchange reserves, that is no obstacle -- unlike Taiwan's senior officers, who cleverly sabotaged attempts at national service. They did so by denying soldiers the combat training that many would find appealing, sending them instead to clean barracks in between long hours wasted on drill and ceremony, calculated to disgust Taiwan's youth.
It all makes sense if a dignified surrender and retreat to apartments is the actual operating plan.
Edward N. Luttwak
Chevy Chase, Md.
Mr. Luttwak is author of "The Rise of China vs. the Logic of Strategy" and other books." [1]
1. Taiwan Is Not Preparing to Fight a Real War
Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]. 25 Nov 2022: A.14.
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