WASHINGTON (TVBS News) — Former White House National Security Council official Ivan Kanapathy shared his insights on how Taiwan can enhance its defense capabilities in a recent interview with Commentator Wenchi Yu in TVBS Meeting Room.
The former F/A-18 weapons officer and tactics instructor at the U.S Navy Fighter Weapons School has closely monitored the developments across the Taiwan Strait.
He believes Taiwan needs to focus on acquiring smaller weapons to better defend itself against an immediate attack rather than solely focusing on large platforms such as vessels and aircraft.
"I mean sort of big naval vessels and aircraft, manned aircraft, fighter planes, transport aircrafts: those are extremely vulnerable and not likely to survive for very long," Kanapathy said.
"So, sort of ground-based and maybe coastal-based munitions are probably a smarter purchase from a cost-effectiveness standpoint."
Drawing from his experience during the Russia-Ukraine war, Kanapathy also emphasized the importance of comprehensive training sessions for Taiwan's military service to strengthen the island's defenses.
He pointed out that most Taiwanese support the government's decision to extend military service from 4 months to a year. However, if they "come out of it having felt that they haven't learned something, they're not better-prepared, or they've been wasting their time, then it doesn't matter how long conscription is."
As China continues to escalate its military demonstrations around Taiwan, he advised that Taiwan should be more realistic about its air and sea space defenses to concentrate its efforts.
With the upcoming 2024 presidential election in Taiwan, China is closely monitoring any potential changes and the countermeasures that may be taken to maintain the status quo.
Kanapathy's insights are critical as tensions between China and Taiwan continue to mount.
