The Global Taiwan Institute (GTI) is pleased to invite you to a virtual seminar titled "Gray Zone Operations or Cross-Channel Invasion: How Should Taiwan Prioritize for Its Defense?" The military balance between the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Taiwan has shifted dramatically in recent years to the advantage of the PRC, thereby increasing concerns—including those voiced publicly by senior US military officials—that PRC leaders might be tempted to employ the military might at their disposal to achieve unification with Taiwan once and for all. At the same time, the years 2020 and 2021 saw a significant increase in maritime “gray zone” operations encroaching upon Taiwan’s sovereignty. Against this backdrop, spirited debates have been underway—in both Taipei and Washington—regarding Taiwan’s strategy and force structure for dealing with these threats. Should there be, as many observers have advocated, a primary focus on the sort of asymmetric defensive capabilities laid out in the “Overall Defense Concept”? Or, as others have maintained, does Taiwan also need to invest in the sorts of traditional platforms required to respond to territorial “gray zone” incursions by PRC forces?
This seminar will provide discussion of these and other fundamental questions regarding Taiwan’s defense priorities, and its longer-term strategy for responding to PRC coercive military operations. Panelists will include: Eric Chan, an analyst with the US Air Force Checkmate Directorate, and a GTI research fellow; Dr. Raymond Kuo, a political scientist with RAND; and Dr. Lee Jyun-yi, a research fellow with the Institute for National Defense and Security Research in Taipei. The event will be moderated by GTI Deputy Director John Dotson.
