The U.S. Navy unit that took out 9/11 mastermind Osama Bin Laden is preparing for its next covert mission as reported by the Financial Times on Wednesday, Sept. 11. The commandos of Seal Team 6 are training for the potential invasion of Taiwan by Chinese forces, according to sources familiar with the team’s operations.
U.S. officials maintain that an invasion by China is “neither imminent nor inevitable.” However, the United States apparently isn’t taking any chances as the Chinese People’s Liberation Army rapidly ramps up its military technology, and the U.S Indo-Pacific Commander says that China may be capable of taking over Taiwan by 2027.
Seal Team 6 is one of the most elite forces in the United States military alongside the U.S. Army’s Delta Force.
The U.S. has sent other special forces to Taiwan to provide training to Taiwanese forces in recent years. However, Seal Team 6’s operations are highly classified, and people familiar with the unit’s training did not provide further details on possible operations in Taiwan.
The United States is legally obligated to protect Taiwan militarily and President Joe Biden has vowed U.S. forces would defend the island in the face of a Chinese attack.
Meanwhile, Beijing warned the U.S. to “stop enhancing military contact with the Taiwan region or arming it,” and accused Washington of heightening tensions along the Taiwan Strait, despite holding military drills of its own earlier this year in the region as a show of force.
China claims it’s committed to a peaceful reunification with Taiwan but has not ruled out the use of force. Beijing has long claimed that Taiwan is part of China while Taiwanese officials maintain that the island is independent from Beijing.
