The Boiling Moat: Urgent Steps to Defend Taiwan

by Matt Pottinger

The US Space Force should acquire, and the US Space Command should employ, maneuvering and potentially armed space assets. These systems should be capable of closely inspecting adversary space assets and providing prospective offensive military capabilities in space, with the goal of deterring aggressive adversary actions against US and allied space-based capabilities. US policymakers should direct US Indo-Pacific Command and US Air Force Global Strike Command commanders to periodically conduct large- and short-notice “show of force” training exercises in and over the Western Pacific, to display to Chinese and allied leaders the ability of US forces to quickly mobilize large-scale battle networks and firepower for prospective Taiwan military contingencies. Such exercises are good training opportunities, and they also display capabilities and will to potential adversaries and partners, essential for sustaining deterrence and reassuring allies. Commanders of military facilities in the US homeland, along with managers of critical defense industrial sites and the private-sector owners and operators of US critical infrastructure, should prepare their facilities and personnel for potential cyberattacks, long-range missiles strikes, and infiltrators in the event of a crisis over Taiwan. Special attention should be paid to the critical infrastructure that support military mobility—rail, air, and port systems and the power grids and utilities that support them.