Congressman Says US Should Use 'Hard Power' Approach to Deter China on Taiwan

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The United States should better utilize its hard power capabilities to deter China from taking military action in Taiwan after the Biden administration’s approach to deterrence in Ukraine failed, US Congressman Mike Gallagher said on Tuesday.

"We don’t lack options, we lack leadership. We lack leadership in the Pentagon capable of bending the bureaucracy to their will in service of a defense strategy that prioritizes hard power. We lack leadership in the White House that understands the paradox at the heart of deterrence: that to avoid war, you must convince your adversary that you are both capable and willing to wage war," Gallagher said during remarks at the Heritage Foundation.

The Biden administration’s approach to deterrence in Ukraine failed due to signaling their unwillingness to put US hard power in Russia’s way, Gallagher said. The US should put hard power between China and Taiwan before it’s "too late," Gallagher said.

The United States will embolden China and invite war if it ignores lessons about hard power, continues down a path of disarmament and allows fear of escalation to dominate decision-making, Gallagher said.

Specifically, Gallagher recommended  that the United States develop what he called an "anti-navy" in order to counter Chinese ships and landing craft, as well as bolster munitions production as stockpiles run low amid shipments to Ukraine.

“We are running low on the munitions that are essential to both Ukraine and Taiwan,” Gallagher, a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the Armed Services Committee, said during remarks at the Heritage Foundation. “To fix this, the Pentagon should stop buying minimum sustaining rates of critical munitions and start maxing out the capacity of active production lines through multi-year procurement contracts.”

The US could modernize the Defense Production Act and use it to provide direct project financing, permit fast tracking and investments in defense workforce training, Gallagher said.

Republican members of the House will pursue an agenda focused on developing the country’s warfighting capabilities if they win control of the chamber in the upcoming midterm elections, Gallagher added.

Gallagher’s remarks come following the release of a Heritage Foundation report on US military power, which rated the country's overall posture as being "weak." While the US Marine Corps and nuclear forces were rated highly, the Army, Navy, Air Force and Space Force all received ratings between "very weak" and "marginal," the report said.

The United States is at growing risk of not being able to defend vital national interests due to years of underfunding, shifting security policies and poorly defined priorities among other challenges, the report added.