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Taiwan likely to be limited to RIMPAC observer role: think tank

ROC Central News Agency

01/02/2022 05:36 PM

Taipei, Jan. 2 (CNA) Taiwan will most likely be limited to observer status if it is invited to the United States-organized Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC) military exercise, according to the Institute for National Defense and Security Research (INDSR), a Ministry of National Defense (MND) think tank.

Speculation has been rife over Taiwan's participation in RIMPAC after U.S. President Joe Biden signed into law last week a defense spending bill that contained related "Sense of Congress" resolutions.

However, "Sense of Congress" resolutions are not enforceable nor legally binding, and the Biden administration has made no suggestion that Taiwan will be invited to the world's largest international maritime military exercise for the first time.

In a report published Wednesday, Liu Ying-chieh (劉穎傑), a resident research officer at the INDSR, said that Taiwanese involvement in RIMPAC would most likely be limited to sending observers.

Liu reasoned that Washington's "one China" policy would preclude Taiwan from participating in war games, sending small-scale dispatch units, or coordinating with other participants in real-time from different locations.

According to Liu, the sensitive nature of such types of participation would likely spark protests from Beijing, as under its "one China" policy the U.S. acknowledges China's view that it has sovereignty over Taiwan but considers Taiwan's status as unsettled.

Despite this, Liu said sending observers would still be useful for learning about the use of common warfare concepts, mutual operation of weapon platforms, and the adoption of coordinated operations by multinational coalitions.

Liu added that getting a firmer grasp on the preparations needed for participating in the international joint military exercise was extremely important.

The option of dispatching MND observers to board ships and understand the process and content of the exercises could help Taiwan's military design battlefield scenarios for its Han Kuang military exercises in the future, Liu said.

Should Taiwan's role at the exercise go beyond mere observation, such as sending small-scale units or coordinating from different locations, this could allow Taiwan's military to focus on the division and integration of tasks, and coordination between combat forces to ensure that orders issued by allied forces can be executed effectively, Liu said.

Furthermore, if Taiwan ends up participating to be a part of the exercises, it will give the top brass a chance to the effectiveness of their decision-making under pressure, as well as find out potential blind spots, Liu said.

RIMPAC, hosted every two years by the U.S. Pacific Fleet near Hawaii. Taiwan has never been invited to participate in the exercise before.

(By Matt Yu and William Yen)

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