Taiwan’s air force could be in a very bad position in the event of a military conflict with China. Taiwan is very vulnerable to Chinese airstrikes, the Washington Post reported today, citing US classified documents published online. According to this, those responsible in Taiwan should doubt that their air defense system can accurately detect missile launches. In addition, little more than half of Taiwan’s aircraft are said to be fully operational.
According to the newspaper, the documents suggest that China’s air force would have a much better chance of gaining control of the airspace early on. The papers said Pentagon analysts considered Taiwan’s missile warning exercises inadequate. Taiwan is unlikely to be able to thwart China’s military air superiority in a conflict.
Tensions between China and Taiwan have recently increased. Beijing regards the democratic island republic as part of the People’s Republic and is threatening to conquer it. Taiwan has had an independent government for more than 70 years.
Dozens of US secret documents have been circulating on the Internet for weeks. The 21-year-old member of the US military, Jack Teixeira, is suspected of having published them in a closed chat room.
