Taipei [Taiwan], September 28 : A recent war simulation has raised alarms over Taiwan's eastern defences, with findings suggesting the region is increasingly vulnerable to strikes from China's People's Liberation Army (PLA).
The large-scale tabletop exercise, held in June, was reviewed yesterday at an event in Taipei organised by the Taipei School of Economics and Political Science Foundation, which also released a book series on the results, as reported by Taipei Times.
According to Taipei Times, the war games showed that Taiwan can no longer assume its eastern region offers a secure fallback for key military assets. With the PLA now fielding submarines and long-range bombers capable of launching cruise missiles from the east, even the fortified Chiashan Air Force Base in Hualien County is at risk.
Former chief of the general staff Admiral Lee Hsi-ming cautioned that a single well-aimed strike at the base's cave entrance could disable aircraft stationed inside.
The simulation also revealed that Taiwan's traditional strategy of focusing defences along its western shores is no longer sufficient. Council on Strategic and Wargaming Studies chairman Huang Chieh-cheng noted that PLA offensives against Penghu County and eastern Taiwan quickly overwhelmed defenders, who were unable to shift reinforcements in time, as cited by Taipei Times.
The participants playing the role of foreign allies argued that Taiwan should reinforce its northern and eastern fronts, rather than concentrating solely on the west.
The games further showed that Taiwan's navy faces a dangerous choice: risk a confrontation with a Chinese carrier group in the Pacific, or concede the Taiwan Strait. Both scenarios could isolate Taiwan's fleet.
Experts suggested a more viable approach would be to deploy naval forces closer to eastern Taiwan, where they could operate alongside land-based anti-ship and air defence systems.
The exercise highlighted the necessity for clear rules of engagement to counter China's "gray zone" operations. The PLA could disguise invasion preparations as drills, while Taiwan's outlying islands remain particularly exposed to isolation, as reported by Taipei Times.
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