The Pentagon wants to use special operations to train Taiwan for a new fight

A Pentagon proposal to Congress in April singled out Taiwan and the Baltic nations, stressing the need for forces there to be ready to “resist an invasion or occupation by an adverse power” and to protect the nation and its people from “sponsored acts of subversion “. by a foreign country that poses a significant threat to the existing government,” on reporting from Defense News that highlights the challenges posed by China and Russia.

New Authorities for Special Operators

In America’s last war, special operations forces they were the preferred option for military commanders and policy makers. Fighting insurgents and terrorists in the conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria has been ideal for special operations forces. But in a potential future large-scale conflict against China or Russia, special operators are expected to return to supporting conventional military forces.

One of the most valuable capabilities of the US special operations community is its ability to train and equip others to fight. The struggle may be against an oppressive government or against a rebel group that threatens a legitimate government.

For example, in the early days of the global war on terror, US Army Green Berets and CIA paramilitary officers partnered with Afghan Northern Alliance fighters to oust the Taliban and al-Qaida terrorists in just a few weeks. Similarly, in Central and South America, the Green Berets trained local militaries to defend against communist insurgents.

In the context of Taiwan facing huge pressures and threats from neighboring China, an extension of authorities to train conventional and special operations units in Taiwan in additional, irregular missions, they will increase their deterrence capabilities and could even make a difference in a potential conflict.

“One of our core mission sets is FID, or Foreign Internal Defense,” an Army Special Forces operator serving in a National Guard unit told Business Insider.

“We work with and train partner forces. Expanding our authorities beyond counter-terrorism and counter-narcotics will untie our hands and help us better prepare our partners, whether it’s Taiwan or Ukraine,” added the Green Beret, who spoke about this condition. of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Army green berets are ideally suited for such missions. They receive linguistic and cultural training designed to make them warrior-diplomats. They can act alone or in small teams, helping to train and lead larger partner forces into battle.

Allowing the Green Berets and Marine Raiders, two types of US forces that specialize in training foreign partners, to work with their Taiwanese counterparts in resistance operations could increase Taiwan’s chances of defending against a Chinese invasion.

If it decides to forcefully unite with the small but defiant island nation, Beijing will likely strike hard and fast. He will probably want to avoid getting embroiled in a long fight like Russia in Ukraine, or give the US and others in the West time to react. The Chinese military will use everything at its disposal, including special operations forces and intelligence agencies. But a Taiwanese military trained in resistance operations will be harder to defeat.

“I understand the existing limitations. FID resilience and skill sets can be used by malicious actors to overthrow legitimate governments and cause all kinds of instability in a region. But if used as intended, they are a great way to fight a large force.” the Green Beret told BI.