U.S. military accelerates in Pacific in attempt to prevent a Chinese invasion of Taiwan

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• Judy Woodruff:

  The Biden administration calls China the most consequential strategic competitor for the United States now and for decades to come.

  One major source of tension, Taiwan. The island democracy is supported by the U.S., but China considers it a breakaway province and has vowed to use force, if necessary, to unify.

  Nick Schifrin recently traveled to the American military command in the Pacific tasked with preparing for any future conflict with China.

• Nick Schifrin:

  Three hundred miles off the coast of Hawaii, the shooters and the F-18 are ready. Pilots fly off the U.S.' oldest operational aircraft carrier to try and guarantee what the U.S. calls a free and open Indo-Pacific, an area that covers half the planet's surface.

  We flew here on a cargo plane designed to land on carriers, invited by Indo-Pacific Command to see what the military calls the Joint Force, how each military service contributes to the fight.

• Rear Adm. Christopher Sweeney, U.S. Navy:

  I consider the aircraft carrier, the strike group, the cornerstone of the Joint Force, frankly.

• Nick Schifrin:

  Navy Rear Admiral Christopher Sweeney commands the USS Nimitz Carrier Strike Group that typically deploys with a half-dozen ships. It's one of the U.S.' most visible projections of power that could one day help deter China from attacking Taiwan.

• Rear Adm. Christopher Sweeney:

  Hopefully, the Chinese Communist Party, the CCP recognizes, that, and that we're just making them think, like, this is not the day that they want to do that.

• Nick Schifrin:

  USS Nimitz has more than 5,000 sailors, 70 jets, including F-18s. But the Chinese have made sure that this carrier is vulnerable by producing some of the most advanced missile systems on the planet.

  In 2021, the People's Liberation Army tested more missiles than the rest of the world combined. China's arsenal is designed to make the U.S. think twice before defending Taiwan and to keep us ships away. A Defense Department map shows anti-ship missiles with a range of 1,200 miles.

  A Chinese state-owned aerospace company even created a propaganda animation showing its missiles destroying an aircraft carrier.

• Rear Adm. Christopher Sweeney:

  I think about it each and every day, every second, because, when I left the pier, I told my wife the only thing I cared about is that I brought every sailor back safe.

• Nick Schifrin:

  There's a lot of people who worry that carriers are sitting ducks. What do you think?

• Rear Adm. Christopher Sweeney:

  Yes, so I would say, I can maneuver, right? I just don't sit in one spot in the ocean. It's a pretty big ocean. It's pretty hard to target something in the ocean.

  I hear that a lot, like, the carriers are risk. Air bases don't move very fast, last time I checked. So, that's sort of a joke, but — but not.

  (LAUGHTER)

• Nick Schifrin:

  That's a reference to U.S. Air Force bases. Today, there are nine main Pacific bases. The Air Force plans to use more small bases in the future because a more distributed footprint could complicate Chinese war planning.

  Colonel Jared Paslay is the Pacific lead for a program designed to execute that plan.

• Col. Jared Paslay, U.S. Air Force:

  I think carriers, aircraft, everything is vulnerable, no bones about it. We're tied to the ground. And if you only have so many main operating bases forward, especially in host nations and partners, that makes the targeting calculus way too simple for an adversary.

  So, we have got to get out. We have got to get distributed.

• Nick Schifrin:

  Protecting those distributed bases would be the job of the U.S. Army. On this day, these soldiers practice lifting and moving 9,300-pound artillery.

  In the Pacific, the Army will have to be able to island-hop with their weapons, be able to set up quickly and fire. The Army is developing longer-range missiles than it currently has that could better target Chinese ships, airfields and command centers. And the Army deploys missile defenses to protect U.S. bases.

• Maj. Gen. Brian Gibson, U.S. Army:

  It's only the Army that provides those ground-based air defense capabilities at scale and at capacity.

• Nick Schifrin:

  Major General Brian Gibson leads the Army's 94th Air and Missile Defense Command.

  Last year, for the first time, this unit conducted the U.S.' first live-fire exercises from Australia and Palau.

• Maj. Gen. Brian Gibson:

  The ability to operate over greater expanded geographical distances is essential for the Joint Force and essential for us.

  Yes, we live in a dangerous neighborhood.

• Nick Schifrin:

  How vulnerable are U.S. bases across the region?

  Michael Swaine, Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft: Oh, they're all vulnerable to Chinese missiles.

• Nick Schifrin:

  Michael Swaine directs the East Asia Program at the Quincy Institute, a think tank that advocates restraint, and is a former senior policy analyst at the RAND Corporation.

  He says the U.S. in the Pacific is more vulnerable than it admits and needs to move faster to protect its bases. He also fears the U.S.' increasing its capabilities and capacity in the Pacific could lead to the very war it's trying to deter.

• Michael Swaine:

  There is no magic bullet, no new technology that is going to be developed that will ensure that the United States can, without question, deter the Chinese from attacking Taiwan purely militarily.

  You need to have some level of real, credible reassurance on the One China policy, America's continued commitment to the notion that it's open to a peaceful, uncoerced, possible unification of China with Taiwan.

• Nick Schifrin:

  Swaine is not alone in his skepticism.

  Adm. William Fallon (RET.), U.S. Navy: I think we have to be quite careful about our actions, because you can stumble into things.

• Nick Schifrin:

  Retired Four-Star Navy Admiral Michael (sic) Fallon was the commander here at Indo-Pacific Command from 2005 to 2007.

  The current commander, Admiral John Aquilino, invited him and every living former commander to celebrate the command's 75th anniversary.

  Should the U.S. and China cooperate more?

• Adm. William Fallon:

  In many ways, I think that's the right answer. I think there's, from my view, far too much war talk, if you would, particularly around Washington.

• Nick Schifrin:

  Taiwan is increasing its defense spending and expanding its conscription. But many experts believe it's not doing enough. And Fallon questions whether the U.S. should come to Taiwan's defense until Taiwan proves it can defend itself.

• Adm. William Fallon:

  In my opinion, there's a lot more they could do. And it would be helpful if their actions matched their aspirations, let's say.

• Nick Schifrin:

  A key part of the U.S. strategy to deter China is bolstering alliances with Pacific allies. Those allies are increasing their defense spending, and U.S. officials say they're more willing to discuss coming to Taiwan's aid.

  Retired Admiral Thomas Fargo was the commander here from 2002 to 2005.

  Adm. Thomas Fargo (RET.), Former Commander, U.S. Pacific Command: The international community is what is going to deter China from taking action.

• Nick Schifrin:

  The U.S. military here wants to move faster to improve its capabilities to deter the People's Republic of China or PRC.

  Retired Admiral Harry Harris was the U.S. ambassador to South Korea from 2018 to 2021, after serving as the commander here for three years.

  Adm. Harry Harris (RET.), Former Commander, But.S. Pacific Command: As the PRC continues to improve its capabilities, improve its weapons systems, influence its partners, then we have to do the same and more, because we have to stay ahead of the PRC in all mission areas related to warfare.

• Nick Schifrin:

  In the waters of Pearl Harbor sits perhaps the best example of the U.S. staying ahead of the People's Republic of China in warfare.

  With a quick salute to the ship's namesake, Navy Commander Carlos Martinez walks me on board the USS Missouri. He leads the crew of a nuclear-powered fast attack submarine that costs more than $3.5 billion to procure. And it's named for the battleship that hosted Japan's surrender.

• Cmdr. Carlos Martinez, U.S. Navy:

  This piece of teak here is a piece of teak that the Pearl Harbor naval shipyard got for us from the Battleship Missouri.

• Nick Schifrin:

  The crew shows how they get a torpedo ready to launch. Besides torpedoes that can attack ships, these Virginia class submarines can carry cruise missiles to attack targets on land. It is the one system that experts agree is the most difficult to detect.

  And it can sail through what for the Chinese are the most sensitive waters.

• Cmdr. Carlos Martinez:

  If the operational commander tells me, as a ship, that he wants me to go to a certain area via a certain route that's international waters, then that's certainly within our right to do so.

• Nick Schifrin:

  Does that include the Taiwan Strait?

• Cmdr. Carlos Martinez:

  The international waters of the Taiwan Strait are available for navigation.

• Nick Schifrin:

  The U.S. calls China the only country with the intent and power to challenge U.S.' influence long term. And so, regardless of any debate, the U.S. military is accelerating its posture in the Pacific.

  For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Nick Schifrin in Honolulu, Hawaii.