Sourced: Asia Times
By Stephen Bryen
Instead of sending an aircraft carrier to Vietnam, the US should send a carrier task force to circle around Taiwan. This would send a message to China and President Xi Jinping that Washington understands Taiwan not only as a democratic friend, but as a crucial link in Western Pacific defense.
Taiwan is in the center of the First Island Chain that stretches from the South China Sea to Japan and beyond. It is adjacent to the Ryukyu Islands and Okinawa, where China is challenging Japan’s sovereignty.
Since the end of World War II, security through the Taiwan Strait and the Ryukyu Islands, where the Miyako Strait (also known as the Kerama Gap) lies between Miyako Island and Okinawa Island, has been assured by the United States.
The US has an important Marine Corps base on Okinawa that houses the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force and the Kadena Air Base that features the US Air Force 18th Wing, the 353d Special Operations Group, reconnaissance units, 1st Battalion, 1st Air Defense Artillery, and a variety of associated units.
Image sourced: The Maritime Executive
Read more at: http://www.atimes.com/never-mind-vietnam-us-bolster-naval-defense-taiwan/