China’s recent military exercises surrounding Taiwan “looked like a rehearsal” for an invasion, U.S. Indo-Pacific Commander Samuel Paparo told Nikkei on Wednesday, stressing the importance of solidarity among the U.S., Japan and their partners to enhance deterrence against Beijing.
Adm. Paparo became the top military official in the Indo-Pacific Command in early May and oversees day-to-day operations of U.S. joint forces in the region.
Paparo said the U.S. Indo-Pacific command monitored and analyzed the Chinese drills on Thursday and Friday. “We watched it. We took note. We learned from it,” he said. “And they helped us prepare for the future.”
The large-scale exercises took place just after new Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te took office. The drills are a part of China’s pressure campaign to bring the island under its control as Beijing regards Lai as a troublemaker.
Asked about the possibility of China invading Taiwan, Paparo stressed, “What matters is [China’s] own assessments,” warning that Beijing continues to “build capability at an alarming rate.”
“The U.S. government charges me with being ready today, tomorrow, next month and next year, in accordance with the Taiwan Relations Act,” Paparo said, citing the 1979 U.S. law, which stipulates that Washington will help the island enhance its self-defense capabilities.
If shooting did break out in the region, Paparo said he is confident the U.S. and its allies and partners would “prevail in a conflict.”
The U.S. has been promoting “integrated deterrence” with these allies and partners. Calling the U.S.-Japan alliance “the most important alliance on the planet,” Paparo touted the countries’ joint operational capability. “Japanese units are within the formation, and are nearly indistinguishable in how we share, track and [in] our ability to operate tactically,” he said.
Paparo also stressed “the urgency of achieving complete unity of effort” with the Japanese Self-Defense Forces, saying it will be his job “in the years ahead,” to upgrade the command and control relationship.
Japan will set up a joint operations command within the Self-Defense Forces by the end of March 2025, which will serve as a coordinating body working with the U.S. military. It is intended to speed up decision-making between the two allies and to facilitate joint operations.
As for the tensions in the South China Sea, where Chinese ships have repeatedly harassed Philippine ships, Paparo said, “We’re monitoring the situation, and we stand ready to come to the aid of our treaty ally, the Philippines.” He added that the Netherlands, Italy and Germany will enhance deterrence in the South China Sea through efforts such as dispatching vessels.
Elsewhere in the Indo-Pacific region, North Korea attempted to launch a rocket carrying a military reconnaissance satellite on Monday. Although the attempt failed, the threat to the security of Japan and the United States has been increasing.
“The lessons of the last five years have shown that we’re living in an increasingly chaotic and disordered world,” Paparo said.
