Submarines for Taiwan

Sam LaGrone--USNI's best find in years--has a piece up today entitled "Taiwan to Simulate Chinese Carrier Attack in Upcoming Training Exercise".  The story raises for me the important--but somewhat underplayed--question of Taiwan and submarines.

The Bush Administration's first go at a Taiwan arms deal included eight diesel submarines.  This, at a time in which China's carrier program was naught but a gleam in Admiral Liu Huaqing's eye.  Exactly how they intended to carry out this part of the proposal was unclear, as the US does not build diesel submarines--at least as warships--and those who do in the world would be unlikely to sell them to Taiwan because of fear of alienating China.

Thirteen years later, Taiwan's quest for submarines continues, with the US having done virtually nothing to move the deal along even as China has put its first carrier to sea with plans for several more in the near future.

As I've written here and elsewhere, China's carrier program is NOT aimed at the United States, but at our friends and allies in the region.  Taiwan is one of those friends.  The United States should follow through with its plan to help Taiwan obtain submarines, either by building them here or by helping Taiwan to build them there.  China must understand that every time Liaoning or her future sisters puts to sea, there is a good chance that it is being trailed by a submarine capable of sinking it, US or otherwise.  The more of our friends in the region that possess the wherewithal to accomplish this task, the more risk the PLAN must take into account.

Update:  I should have known  Jim Holmes from the Naval War College would have already written about this!


Bryan McGrath