Stay Behind Forces in Taiwan: No Room to Swing a Gladius

Stanley Mitchell // Strategists and analysts should reconsider the value and purpose of SB operations in the context of Taiwan. Historical SB operations were intended to support and amplify the activity of a relatively closely located friendly force, and to facilitate the flow of operatives. All of this is made exponentially more difficult in an island like Taiwan.

Why China Lacks Subtlety about Its Intentions with Taiwan

Garrett Ehinger // Taiwan is only about 100 miles off the coast of China, and much like how the United States felt during the Cuban Missile Crisis, China perceives military and strategic threats from a US-aligned Taiwan. But there are other qualities of a democratic Taiwan that cause it to chafe the PRC.

U.S.-China Competition: Is China Winning Without War?

Garrett Ehinger // China is not as affected by U.S. deterrence as American leaders might think. It recognizes the high costs that war with the United States would have...Thus it seeks to provoke the United States into further investment in deterrence while patiently entrenching itself around the globe. 

Ghosts of Gladio: Mapping Out a Stay-Behind Strategy in Taiwan

By Noah Schwartz & Alison O'Neil // Rather than helping Taiwan prepare for conventional defense by hitting targets in the Chinese mainland — a strategy that could further provoke the PRC while failing to match the PLA’s superior firepower — the United States should encourage Taiwan to develop its asymmetric capabilities.