PLA shift to systems warfare means Taiwan’s defences need to change: experts

The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is increasingly adopting a "systems-oriented warfare" approach, focusing on integrating intelligence, AI, communications, weapons, logistics, and infrastructure into a cohesive combat system, according to Taiwanese analysts. This shift could pose new challenges to Taiwan's defenses, as the PLA aims to disable critical nodes supporting Taiwanese forces through "systems destruction warfare."

This approach emphasizes attacking critical enabling nodes, such as satellites, radar, communications links, command centers, data networks, and fuel and logistics facilities. Once these links are severed, even sophisticated weapons could lose their effectiveness without being physically destroyed. Analysts warn that Beijing could exploit the cost imbalance between the PLA's large numbers of inexpensive drones and rockets and Taiwan's more costly interceptors, potentially exhausting Taiwan's missile stocks and imposing unsustainable costs.

To counter these threats, Taipei may need to adopt a "high-low mix" of sophisticated interceptors and cheaper countermeasures, including shorter-range missiles, electronic warfare, counter-drone systems, lasers, and high-powered microwave weapons.

Brief written by urgent.news from Reuters Business via SCMP's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.