TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — US defense and security expert Stephen Bryen believes Taiwan should take a lesson from Iran’s April 13 drone and missile attack on Israel to prepare for a similar-style strike from China.
Bryen, a former deputy undersecretary of defense at the Pentagon, said Taiwan’s capacity to confront such a mass barrage of aerial threats at once lacks the integrated and layered organization that Israel possesses. In his analysis of Taiwan’s defensive capabilities, republished by Asia Times, Bryen argued the U.S. should gift Taiwan with an Iron Dome missile defense system like Israel.
In his article, Bryen said the success of Israeli and U.S. efforts to thwart Iran’s barrage should not detract from the greater lesson that such a style of attack is increasingly likely. In Taiwan’s case, any attempt at an invasion by China will almost certainly include the mass deployment of drones and missiles in the opening stages.
According to Bryen, Taiwan does not possess the layered aerial defense system that would be required to resist such an aerial bombardment, much less two or three in rapid succession.
Without the improved capacity to effectively defend against such a barrage — and crucially, the support of the U.S. and Japan — Taiwan’s aerial defenses would be quickly overwhelmed. One major step to address this problem would be for Taiwan to integrate an Iron Dome missile defense system into the nation’s defense architecture.
Bryen said there are Iron Dome systems in the possession of the U.S. that are not being put to use in any critical capacity, and which would better serve both U.S. and Taiwanese interests if they were gifted to Taipei. The report also called for the U.S. and Japan to further integrate the Taiwanese military into a more comprehensive and integrated regional defense framework to ensure stability in the Indo-Pacific.
Despite Bryen’s critical analysis of Taiwan’s defensive posture, the country is actively preparing for mass drone attacks launched by China.
In March, it was reported that Taiwan is developing a vehicle-mounted 50 kW laser cannon that will be used to counter Chinese drones. In February, it was reported that drone defense weaponry is being distributed to defend key infrastructure facilities throughout the country.