TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A Taiwanese think tank will host tabletop exercises simulating a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan from Tuesday to Wednesday in Taipei.
The Taipei School of Economics and Political Science Foundation will host Taiwan Defense TTX, inviting nine retired generals and eight retired lieutenant generals from Taiwan, the US, and Japan, including former US Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen, per CNA. The goal is to identify critical defense vulnerabilities Taiwan must address and provide government recommendations.
Council on Strategic and Wargaming Strategies Director-General Huang Chieh-cheng (黃介正) and Center for Peace and Security Chief Executive Officer Lee Hsi-min (李喜明) initiated the event due to the increasing threat of Chinese military action. The organizers emphasized the need for Taiwan to take a rigorous approach, using internationally adopted war-gaming methods, to assess security dynamics in the Western Pacific, analyze potential PLA military action, and examine Taiwan’s possible responses.
The TTX, hosted at National Chengchi University’s Center for Public and Business Administration Education, seeks to assess the viability and effectiveness of military strategies and operational concepts planned by the Taiwanese armed forces by 2030, assuming full capability buildup. Retired generals and defense experts will explore how the military might respond to a Chinese attack and where defenses need urgent strengthening.
This event marks Taiwan’s first operational-level wargame organized by a civilian institution. Among the international participants invited by Lee are former Commander of US Pacific Forces Dennis Blair, former Chief of Staff of the Japan Self-Defense Forces General Iwasaki Shigeru, and former Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Chief of Staff Admiral Takei Tomohisa.
The exercise is divided into five teams, including a control group and teams representing China, Taiwan, the US, and Japan. Under the direction of the control group, scenarios involving harassment, provocation, and invasion by China will be simulated to test the Taiwan team’s responses, as well as evaluate how and whether the US and Japan teams would assist.
Participants on the Taiwan team include former Army Commander Hu Cheng-fu (胡鎮埔) and former Air Force General Liao Jung-hsin (廖榮鑫). In addition to Mullen and Blair, the US team includes former National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Lu Sheau-jung (陸小榮).
The Japanese team includes Iwasaki, Takei, and former Deputy Minister of National Defense Chang Guan-chung (張冠群). The China team features former Deputy Minister of National Defense Hsu Yen-pu (徐衍璞) among others.
