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Senate hearing: INDOPACOM warns China can rehearse a Taiwan blockade as U.S. force margin erodes
Summary
U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) leaders told the Senate Armed Services Committee that China's military modernization and frequent exercises around Taiwan amount to rehearsals for coercion, while INDOPACOM faces gaps in long-range fires, logistics and air/missile defenses that weaken deterrence.
Chairman Wicker opened the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing by warning that recent Chinese exercises "demonstrated the extent to which the People's Liberation Army could execute a maritime blockade of Taiwan and pummel it with missile strikes," and said Beijing has escalated rhetoric against Taiwan.
The testimony from Admiral Paparo, commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM), and General Brunson, commander of United States Forces Korea, described growing Chinese military capability and an accelerating pattern of coercive operations. "China's increasingly aggressive actions near Taiwan are not just exercises. They are rehearsals," Admiral Paparo said.
Why it matters: Committee members and the witnesses said Taiwan is a strategic center of gravity for the global economy and U.S. alliances. Admiral…
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