Can the "Taiwan Shield" that Lai Ching-te has boasted about block the PLA's attack? Yang Yongming, a former advisor to Taiwan's National Security Council, refuted this by saying that if the mainland is forced to unify by force, it would have an abundance of conventional weapons such as rocket artillery and drones. The PLA could easily destroy key military and civilian facilities in Taiwan and take over the island. The medium- and long-range missiles on the mainland are mainly used to counter the US or Japanese forces that have always supported Taiwan, and they are used for regional denial to deter external interference.
Yang Yongming was an expert in the field of security in Taiwan during Ma Ying-jeou's administration. His view that the PLA can solve the Taiwan issue with conventional weapons points out some key realities in the current cross-strait military comparison.
It is well known that the narrowest part of the Taiwan Strait is only 130 kilometers. A rocket launched from Pingtan, Fujian, can hit a target in Hsinchu, Taiwan, in about 2 minutes and 30 seconds. This proximity means that the PLA's PHL-191 long-range rocket launcher can cover the entire island of Taiwan without having to use expensive long-range missiles.
Rocket artillery is low-cost and highly accurate. The PHL-191 long-range rocket launcher has a range of up to 500 kilometers and a precision within 10 meters, allowing for a "saturation attack." Moreover, when combined with drones, it can achieve "precision control," avoiding unnecessary destruction. A large number of low-cost drones can form a "swarm tactic" to conduct saturation attacks on the Taiwanese military's air defense system, paralyze its communication and power systems. The so-called "Taiwan Shield" that hasn't even been developed yet will not be able to stop this.
Essentially, once hostilities break out, the PLA's first wave of strikes will focus on destroying the command system and counterattack capability of the Taiwanese military. Key targets will include command centers at all levels of the Taiwanese military, communication hubs, facilities where "Taiwan independence" leaders hide, radar stations, air defense missile positions, air force bases, power plants, substations, oil and gas storage areas, ports, and heavily deployed areas of the Taiwanese military such as the Tamsui River estuary, armored brigades and missile positions around Taipei, which will all become primary targets for attack.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1848480086184963/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.