Taiwan’s Security: History and Prospects

When the defeated Nationalist Party (KMT) fled mainland China for Taiwan following WWII, its armed forces were in disarray. Taiwan now has a well-equipped, modern military, but whether the island could sustain a war with the mainland is an issue discussed at length by scholars and military experts. On January 18, CNAPS hosted a roundtable discussion with Dr. Bernard Cole, Professor of International History at National War College, addressing the political and physical challenges Taiwan confronts in determining the fate of its national security.