So, time for the US to kick in a few bucks to accelerate the development of Starship/Super Heavy?
Having large numbers of "satellite disabling" satellites is feasible with SH/SS. Melting the electronics with a high powered maser pulse, matching orbit and snipping the red wire...probably lots of ways to disable a satellite that don't start Kessler Syndrome, once getting a satellite into orbit is cheap.
More SSBNs won’t help in this case. The intent isn’t to counter the US nuclear capability but to greatly restrict their conventional power projection.
The US heavily relies on its naval assets especially its aircraft carriers to project power across the globe.
I suspect the American answer would be two fold both increase detection and interception capabilities and attempt to gain further foothold in the region by establishing more bases in places like the Philippines and even potentially Vietnam (the irony would be quite thick on this one).
China is probably betting that the US would have hard time expanding its presence on the ground even in places like South Korea where it already has large presence due to the fears of escalating regional tensions further. It would also allow China to push the narrative of the US being the aggressor.
And pretty much the place that the US would like to protect the most is going to be off limits to their expansion as the US establishing a Guam or Okinawa size presence in Taiwan would very likely lead to the invasion they would want to prevent.
> The US heavily relies on its naval assets especially its aircraft carriers to project power across the globe.
Maybe that should change. Carriers were king in the era before missiles. In this day and age I wonder how effective carriers really are against adversaries with high tech missiles.
I also wonder if the US will come up with their own version and test it by hitting a dummy target in the SCS - signalling it’s meant for the Chinese Navy; it would be funny if everything China comes up to weaken the power of the US Navy was in turn used to weaken their Navy should they try to invade Taiwan.
Taiwan is 100 miles of the coast of mainland China. China doesn’t need massive ships to invade Taiwan.
It can invade it with inflatable rafts if push comes to shove and since the mainland is 100 miles away it’s well within the range of rocket artillery and air assets.
So they are going to invade with just unprotected troops and no other hardware? No armour. No artillery strikes on Taiwan - the farthest hitting artillery is only 43.5 miles; according to Google, by the US Army ironically. Are they going to re-supply the invasion force via inflatable rafts too?
In the worst case, the missiles can be adapted for anti-personnel use with cluster munition warheads to shower the battlefield with shrapnel - which should be pretty effective against troops not protect by armour.
I was thinking, nuclear-powered drone submarines armed with conventional torpedos and possibly SAMs.
Much cheaper to build and operate than crewed subs. Could be deployed in numbers against anyone wanting to invade...Taiwan, to choose a random example.
Having large numbers of "satellite disabling" satellites is feasible with SH/SS. Melting the electronics with a high powered maser pulse, matching orbit and snipping the red wire...probably lots of ways to disable a satellite that don't start Kessler Syndrome, once getting a satellite into orbit is cheap.
Also time to build more nuclear submarines.