In recent years, the Taiwan issue has become the core issue of China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and in addition to the suggestions and suggestions made by domestic military fans and experts, there are also foreign military experts who have offered suggestions and suggestions in the foreign media, giving China's future war plan for the liberation of Taiwan, including the US conventional missile deterrence in the western Pacific, the naval and air blockade of the waters around Taiwan, and the decapitation of core Taiwan independence elements.
Although China has not yet advanced the war plan to liberate Taiwan by force, the Russia-Ukraine war, which has been going on for more than two years, has undoubtedly given the PLA a lot of inspiration at the strategic, campaign and tactical levels. After all, China's overall national strength, especially its economic and demographic war potential, is much stronger than Russia's, and it is almost impossible for the United States to deal with China in the same way that it sanctions and isolates Russia.
The picture shows the IDF fighter of the Taiwan military flying with the H-6K
Conventional deterrence of the US military
China's rocket force is a strategic service transformed from the Second Artillery Corps, shouldering two missions: strategic nuclear deterrence and campaign conventional deterrence, among which, the medium and long-range missile systems in conventional deterrence, such as the Dongfeng-21C/D and Dongfeng-26, are basically "tailor-made" for the US military in the western Pacific region.
Among them, the DF-21C is an older missile system, but the latest DF-21D is derived as an anti-ship ballistic missile, which specializes in fighting US aircraft carrier battle groups. Previously, foreign media had exposed that China had built a mobile "land target ship" in a desert area in Xinjiang, and satellite pictures also showed that the "land target ship" was suspected to be covered by missile craters, which shows that the DF-21D anti-ship ballistic missile is very close to the actual combat anti-aircraft carrier capability.
However, after all, the Dongfeng-21 series missiles were in service earlier, so the PLA was equipped with a missile with a longer range and better technology - the Dongfeng-26. Its maximum range, with a rejection of more than 4,000 kilometers, can hit Guam, the second island chain of the United States. This missile can be replaced with three types of warheads, including nuclear warheads, conventional warheads and anti-ship warheads, and it also has better battlefield flexibility than the DF-21 series missiles.
The picture shows the DF-26 medium- and long-range ballistic missile
In addition, in order to more effectively break through the US military's missile defense system, China also exposed two new missiles for the first time in the 2019 70th anniversary of the National Day military parade: the Dongfeng-17 hypersonic missile and the Dongfeng-100 supersonic cruise missile. Among them, the DF-17 missile has a maximum speed of more than Mach 10, and can also maneuver laterally at medium and low altitudes, can easily penetrate the interception of any missile defense system, and is mainly used for conventional strikes on targets around the first island chain, and can also strike at large ships at sea.
As for the Dongfeng-100 supersonic cruise missile, it is still "holding the pipa and half covering its face", this missile is a rare supersonic cruise missile in the world, with a maximum speed of Mach 5, far exceeding the famous "Tomahawk" cruise missile, and it is said that its range is up to 3,000 kilometers, which is an ideal high-speed penetration of high-power weapons.
The picture shows the DF-17 hypersonic missile launch vehicle
The core military forces of the US military in the western Pacific are the Air Force's stealth fighters, strategic bombers, and various bases, and the Navy's aircraft carrier battle groups and military ports, while most of the Dongfeng series of campaign and tactical missiles of the Chinese Rocket Force are prepared to destroy and deter these US military weapons. Once China and the United States go to war, the US military's naval and air bases and forces in the western Pacific will be "baptized" by the Dongfeng series of missiles. Therefore, it is very unsafe for the US military to intervene in the Taiwan conflict, and even if it can intervene on the first day, the rear base or aircraft carrier battle group will become a sea of fire in the following days.
The picture shows the scene of the US military shooting targets with a retired aircraft carrier
Air and sea blockade of Taiwan
Of course, after all, the United States possesses more powerful nuclear weapons than China, and the key to whether nuclear deterrence can be effective depends on the determination of the US Government and Congress to intervene militarily in Taiwan. Once nuclear deterrence fails, the PLA will have to carry out a naval and air blockade of the waters around Taiwan, so that the United States and its allies cannot achieve assistance to Taiwan, and cannot give military assistance to Ukraine through the land passage on the border between Poland and Ukraine as in the Russian-Ukrainian war.
The picture shows a group of Chinese nuclear submarines
Among the PLA's naval and air blockade forces, the submarine forces, especially the nuclear submarine forces, should receive the most attention. This is because submarines are difficult for any surface ship to detect with the human eye and traditional sensors (radar, optical instruments), and under the current level of technology, only sonar can be used, and the use of sonar will be seriously disturbed by the marine environment, especially in Taiwan's coastal waters, the noise of civilian ships will greatly reduce the efficiency of sonar.
In terms of the use of troops, the PLA nuclear submarine can cross the first island chain, counterattack near the rear base of the US military in the second island chain, or launch a "cat and mouse game" against the US rear support fleet. Conventional submarines, on the other hand, can "wait for the rabbits" in the waters around Taiwan and wait for an opportunity to ambush US warships that intervene, or lay mines in the sea to completely blockade Taiwan's inland waterways and ports with the outside world.
The picture shows the launching ceremony of the Fujian aircraft carrier
In addition, the PLA's two aircraft carriers in active service and the Fujian aircraft carrier, which is about to be commissioned, also have great potential in the naval and air blockade, and they can conduct anti-ship and anti-submarine operations together with shore-based aviation units in the waters east of Taiwan and in the Ryukyu Islands and the Philippine Islands.
The decapitation of Taiwan independence elements
The above-mentioned nuclear deterrence and naval and air blockade are all large-scale troop and firepower deployments outside the island of Taiwan, but it should be pointed out that if a war over Taiwan is unavoidable, the main culprits will be a very small number of core Taiwan independence elements, not the majority of the Taiwan people. Therefore, the strategy for liberating Taiwan should be to behead the Taiwan independence elements on the island, just as the so-called "shooting the thief first shoots the horse, and the thief captures the king first."
The picture shows Saddam Hussein and his two sons
In recent years, we have often seen the US military and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) carrying out beheading operations or "targeted killings" against terrorists and anti-US and anti-Israeli fighters. Among them, the United States has successively "beheaded" Saddam Hussein's father and son, Osama bin Laden, Zarqawi, Zawahri, and others, relying on a comprehensive intelligence collection and analysis system.
Similarly, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) wants to behead Taiwan independence elements and establish a comprehensive intelligence collection and analysis system. From human intelligence, to technical intelligence from cyber and aerospace sources, from their daily whereabouts to escape route plans, they must be well understood, and they cannot expect to send troops to find their traces after landing on the island.
The picture shows the Z-20 twin aircraft flying
In the firepower or force strike phase, in addition to the use of missiles and bombs, special forces can also be dispatched to verify their identity or specific hiding places in advance. Since Taiwan has many inland rivers, the special forces can also use the "Bison" large hovercraft to send light armored vehicles and light artillery to nearby locations to strengthen their firepower.
In short, once the PLA wants to liberate Taiwan, it will certainly not be able to depart from the above three principles, namely, nuclear deterrence against the United States and its allies, naval and air blockade of the waters around Taiwan, and decapitation of core Taiwan independence elements, and the will to war is equally important.
Part of the content of the article is source: Ministry of National Defense release: The People's Liberation Army will deal a head-on blow to any form of "Taiwan independence" separatist acts