Japan: The Lynchpin Of American Peacekeeping Efforts In The Pacific

A report of the CSIS International Security Program, released last week, put forth possible outcomes should China launch an amphibious invasion of Taiwan. The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) developed a wargame involving various scenarios and ran it twenty-four times. While the report stated, "In most scenarios, the United States/Taiwan/Japan defeated a conventional amphibious invasion by China and maintained an autonomous Taiwan." But the crushing cost of such a conflict prompted the authors to note, "Victory is therefore not enough. The United States needs to strengthen deterrence immediately."