WarBastard
Banned
Yeah, you have to conside the fact that if China was to do this, it would likely be in the middle of some other crisis that the US was already distracted with.
Yeah, you have to conside the fact that if China was to do this, it would likely be in the middle of some other crisis that the US was already distracted with.
... against whatever fragmentary PLA units survived the crossing, the fighting ashore, and the blockade... it won't be a walkover, but it is a fight the US would win.
What would happen if China prodded N. Korea to action shortly before the Taiwan Operation took place? I'm pretty sure the U.S. sees N. Korea as the greater threat. How would this affect U.S. dispositions?
What would happen if China prodded N. Korea to action shortly before the Taiwan Operation took place? I'm pretty sure the U.S. sees N. Korea as the greater threat. How would this affect U.S. dispositions?
Very interesting idea, and I can imagine some day a sort of quid-pro-quo happening there.
I'd think concentrating US assets in the area would be the last thing the PRC would want before trying for Taiwan.
If the US is fighting in Korea, you can be sure there are carriers in the East China Sea. From there, the Taiwan strait isn't a long haul.
With North Korea's recent actions we might be seeing something nasty in the near future![]()
The consensus on this thread seems to be that U.S. naval forces would immediately rush to the area and be brought to bear before China could conquer Taiwan. If that's going to happen anyways, China (in the context of this alternate universe) might decide that they might as well allow North Korea to foment a crisis (maybe not a resumption of war, but maybe provocation and SEVERE saber-ratting) on the peninsula so as to divide the efforts of the U.S. military -- especially as the U.S. would surely find North Korea to be a greater priority.
Logistics.70% of the Earth is covered in water, give or take. The USN has a dozen carriers, give or take, to patrol ALL of that, and several are in port in CONUS at any time. If there's trouble in Korea, a CVBG (or more than one) WILL be sent there. It will then be near enough to Taiwan to interdict the Formosa strait before the PRC could consolidate their hold on Taiwan. The PRC needs all the USN carriers to be busy elsewhere, so that while they will, indeed, HEAD for Taiwan when trouble starts there, they won't REACH it in time.
Yes, the US priority would be Korea. Enough force could handily be spared to hold Taiwan without compromising that; for Taiwan you need the USN. For Korea you need the US Army.
Protecting Taiwan is a doable mission for the present US military. South Korea is not in the short term.
Given everything to be equal --no point of departure on this timeline has been stated-- we simply can't put more than two Army divisions and one Marine Expeditionary Force into Korea in time for it to have any meaning to the outcome.
Where on Earth did you get this idea?
For that matter, are you counting the division the US already has in Korea?
Prior poster(s) are correct that S. Korea wouldn't need much help defending itself against just N. Korea (again, remember there's a fair bit on the ground there already, and more nearby). Of course, this thread is about the PRC vs. the US... and S. Korea wouldn't be able to stand off the PLA without a lot of help. OTOH, the entire PLA can't simply teleport to the DMZ. Logistics, as you stated. The PLA can't move to the DMZ much faster than the US Army can.
The US does not have a Division in Korea. There is one combat brigade of the Second Infantry Division, and a combat Aviation brigade. There is also an independent support brigade available. Other Eighth Army combat units exist only on paper. Another brigade of Second Infantry is already deployed in Afghanistan. Most of the Second Infantry Division is stationed at Ft. Lewis, Washington.Where on Earth did you get this idea?
For that matter, are you counting the division the US already has in Korea?
Prior poster(s) are correct that S. Korea wouldn't need much help defending itself against just N. Korea (again, remember there's a fair bit on the ground there already, and more nearby). Of course, this thread is about the PRC vs. the US... and S. Korea wouldn't be able to stand off the PLA without a lot of help. OTOH, the entire PLA can't simply teleport to the DMZ. Logistics, as you stated. The PLA can't move to the DMZ much faster than the US Army can.
How can we get this thread moved to the Future History section?