TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The Financial Times reported Thursday (Sept. 12) that Seal Team 6, the counter-terrorism unit of the U.S. Navy, has been training for over a year to assist Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion. The team has been conducting this secret training at Dam Neck in Virginia Beach, about 250 kilometers southeast of Washington, D.C., according to the report.
This training aims to deter China from attacking Taiwan and to prepare for potential orders from Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) to invade, Financial Times added. Despite U.S. officials emphasizing that war with China is neither imminent nor inevitable, the U.S. military continues to intensify its contingency planning.
Seal Team 6, known for executing some of the U.S. military's most sensitive and challenging missions, operates under the Joint Special Operations Command, a part of the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). In recent years, the U.S. Department of Defense has also deployed more conventional special forces to Taiwan for training missions.
However, activities involving Seal Team 6 remain highly classified, and insiders have not disclosed details of their current missions. USSOCOM rarely discusses matters related to Seal Team 6 and has referred questions about Taiwan plans to the U.S. Department of Defense. A Pentagon spokesperson stated that U.S. forces “prepare and train for a wide range of contingencies."
Sean Naylor, author of "Relentless Strike," said, "That Seal Team 6 is planning for possible Taiwan-related missions should come as no surprise."
