In a move that underscores the escalating tensions between the United States and China, the US Navy’s elite Seal Team 6 has been training for potential missions in Taiwan. This covert commando unit, renowned for its role in the 2011 operation that resulted in Osama bin Laden’s death, has been preparing for a potential Taiwan conflict for over a year at its Virginia Beach headquarters, according to sources close to the preparations. The Financial Times reported on the intensified training, highlighting the increased U.S. focus on deterring China from invading Taiwan. This preparation also reflects the US’s readiness for such a possibility, should it arise.
The heightened military readiness comes in the wake of warnings from former US Indo-Pacific commander Phil Davidson in 2021, who predicted that China could attack Taiwan within six years. Although officials maintain that a conflict with China is “neither imminent nor inevitable,” the US military has accelerated its contingency preparations in response to the rapid modernization of the People’s Liberation Army and Chinese President Xi Jinping’s stated goal of having the capability to take Taiwan by force by 2027.
The Pentagon has significantly increased the deployment of regular special forces to Taiwan for training the Taiwanese military. However, the activities of Seal Team 6 are considered more sensitive due to the highly classified nature of their covert missions.
With the threat from terror groups diminishing, special operations forces like Seal Team 6 have joined the rest of the US military and the intelligence community in shifting their focus to China. CIA Director Bill Burns recently revealed that 20% of the agency’s budget is now allocated to China, a 200% increase over the past three years.
The escalating tensions between the US and China over Taiwan have been evident for some time. In August 2023, China allocated $15 billion to Western Pacific military drills, highlighting Beijing’s escalating military investment in the vicinity of Taiwan and neighboring regions. In September 2023, the newly appointed quasi-ambassador from the U.S. to Taiwan, Raymond Greene, expressed confidence in Taiwan’s defense reforms, stating that these reforms contribute to stability across the Taiwan Strait and the wider security scenario in the Indo-Pacific.
The developments surrounding Seal Team 6’s training and the increasing U.S. military presence in the region serve as a stark reminder of the growing geopolitical tensions surrounding Taiwan and the potential for conflict in the Indo-Pacific region.
