FPI / August 26, 2020
By Richard Fisher
The People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) invasion strategy for Taiwan relies heavily on the mobilization of large civilian transport ships that would move the bulk of the troops and supporting armor and logistic supplies, to put enough forces on the island democracy to force its surrender or defeat.
Imagery revealed during the announced post-Aug. 13 twin PLA exercises in the Taiwan Strait revealed that the large 24,000 ton civilian passenger roll-on-roll-off (RORO) ferry BoHai BaoZhu, that can carry over 1,000 passengers or troops and over 200 vehicles.
In 2017 an informal estimate held that China’s large ferries and transport ships could move about 150,000 troops to Taiwan.
But these ships require the PLA to secure operating ports, and Taiwan has only three or four that are worth capturing, so the PLA must devise more points for disembarkation.
Also revealed in post-exercise imagery may be the PLA’s solution:
It has developed its version of the Allies’ World War II “Mulberry” temporary dock system, that was instrumental in loading ships and supplies to support the June 6, 1944 D-Day invasion of Normandy, France.
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