China Can’t Execute Major Amphibious Operations, Direct Assault on Taiwan

via USNI News.

The Chinese military is reorganizing its land forces, but its moves do not increase its ability to mount a large-scale beach assault across the Taiwan Strait, according to a new Department of Defense report.

Taiwan is the primary focus of amphibious assault and sea-based missile launch capability improvements made in 2018 by China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the PLA Navy and PLA Marine Corps, according to the Pentagon’s Annual Report to Congress: Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China.

“Taiwan persistently remains the PLA’s main ‘strategic direction,’ one of the geographic areas the leadership identifies as having strategic importance,” the report states.

The Chinese communist party seeks to diplomatically isolate Taiwan by stripping it of its diplomatic allies, by meddling in democratic elections and by applying economic pressure through redirecting tourism and financial development away from the island, Randall Shriver, assistant secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Affairs, said during a Friday media briefing about the report.

“China has never renounced the use of military force and continues to conduct military exercises,” Shriver said.

However, China does not appear to be currently investing in the equipment likely required for a direct assault on Taiwan, such as large amphibious assault ships and medium landing craft necessary for a large beach assault, according to the report. The bulk of China’s recently created marine corps forces currently lack proper equipment or operational training.

Story here.

Wow.

A couple of things.

How is China NOT investing in large amphibious assault ships?  Do they not know about the LHD they're building?  Do they not know about the LPD that's almost equivalent of the San Antonio Class?

Type 075

Type 071

Additionally why are they focused solely on an amphibious assault?  Have they not heard of joint operations?

Chinese Airborne and Marine Forces could basically chop that country into bite sized pieces for a follow on effort by the Chinese Army!

I guess my point is that this report is lacking.

Taiwan is endangered NOW, not in the future.  For all practical purposes we lost this decades ago when we failed to support that country.  Consider Taiwan the new Hong Kong.  It's not a matter of if but when.  Taiwan will revert to Chinese mainland control.

That's the reality.

All we're doing is waiting on China to do the deed.