Army Pacific Plans Around Possible Chinese Move on Taiwan in 2027

The head of U.S. Army Pacific says his command has prepared the region on the assumption that China could have the capability, and possibly the intent, to take Taiwan by force in 2027, Stars and Stripes reports. Gen. Ronald Clark made the remarks at the TechNet Indo-Pacific conference in Honolulu.

Key points

• The Davidson window: In 2021, Adm. Philip Davidson, then leading U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, told a Senate committee that China was on course to be able to seize Taiwan by 2027. Clark said the threat it describes is "still valid."
• Army Ready Forward: The command rotates equipment, materiel and personnel west of the International Date Line, on the island chains nearest China.
• Biggest challenge: Clark named the balance between advanced high-end systems and cheaper, mass-producible options, especially autonomous ones.
• Mixed signals: Former CIA Director William Burns said in 2023 that Xi Jinping had told his military to be ready by 2027, while this year's ODNI threat assessment said Chinese leaders do not currently plan a 2027 invasion and have no fixed timeline.

Quick take

Stars and Stripes notes that Beijing views Taiwan, a self-governed democracy, as territory that must come under its control, and that the U.S. arms Taiwan while keeping its response to an invasion ambiguous. The report says the Davidson window has shaped U.S. defense budgets and Pacific strategy meant to deter or block an invasion, and it sets the Burns account beside the intelligence assessment.

Read the full story at Stars and Stripes.