Why China Is Gearing Up For A 2027 Taiwan War – And The US Isn’t

PAUL’S DEFENSE BRIEF (PDB) – China’s military dispatched air, navy, and missile units to conduct joint live-fire drills around Taiwan, which Beijing called a “stern warning” against separatist and “external interference” forces.

Taiwan 2027: China’s target date for potential takeover fast approaches. China’s massive live-fire military exercises around Taiwan come as we get one year closer to the date that looms large for Pentagon planners. The U.S. military has been operating for the past five years under the assumption that China’s military is preparing to take Taiwan by force as soon as 2027.

But is U.S. getting ready for this war?

“We’re not punching out ships any faster. Submarines aren’t getting submerged into the ocean any faster. There’s a real convergence of issues coming in 2027 as we think about whether or not we’re going to be prepared,” says Mike Kuiken, a Hoover fellow and member of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission.

Meanwhile, the U.S. is constructing several airstrips, ports, and bases on Pacific islands in preparation for a potential conflict with China. That work, though, is largely in its early stages and happening at a peacetime pace, says Ely Ratner, the assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs in the Biden administration.

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY – Here’s a roundup of today’s other top defense news from conservative national security expert PAUL CRESPO.

THE PDB – Not the President’s Daily Briefing, but almost as good – PAUL’S DEFENSE BRIEF:    

HOMELAND DEFENSE

Seven months after Trump announced plans for the Golden Dome missile shield for America, lawmakers who oversee the Pentagon have yet to learn meaningful information about the system’s attributes, cost, or schedule.

HOMELAND SECURITY

2025 was unusually busy for Army and Air National Guard personnel, with deployments to support natural disaster response and recovery, crime prevention, and federal protection missions.

Few outside the Pentagon know about its Cyber Crime Center’s Cyber Forensics Lab, but its work underpins DOD criminal cyber investigations, major defense contractor cases, and even DOJ prosecutions.

DEFENSE POLITICS

VA reinstated a near-total ban on abortion services for veterans and their dependents after new guidance from the Justice Department concluded the agency lacks legal authority to provide the procedure, including cases of rape or incest.

US POWER OVERSEAS

Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Annapolis returned to its homeport in Guam after a routine deployment in Indo-Pacific.

Shipyards in Louisiana and Finland will jointly build six new U.S. Arctic Security Cutter icebreakers.

VENEZUELA-NARCO THREAT

President Trump said the U.S. “hit” a dock facility along the Venezuelan shore where narco boats ‘load up’ as he wages a pressure campaign on socialist drug lord dictator Nicolas Maduro.

CIA carried out a drone strike on a port facility on the Venezuelan coast. Strike targeted a remote dock on the Venezuelan coast being used by the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua to store drugs and move them onto boats for shipping.

The U.S. military has now hit at least 30 drug vessels since early September, killing 107 people.

UKRAINE WAR

Former Trump Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Vladimir Putin has “conceded literally nothing” in talks to end the war in Ukraine.

Ukraine peace plan “scares the bejesus out of us,” officials say. U.S.-led plan caps Ukraine’s military end-strength while doing little to check Russian hostilities.

Italy agreed to continue sending military aid to Ukraine next year, capping months of infighting in Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s coalition.

Russia’s foreign minister alleged a Ukrainian drone attack targeted one of Putin’s residences, a claim immediately rejected by Kyiv.

MIDDLE EAST THREATS

Iran’s leader says the country is in a ‘full-fledged’ war with the U.S., Israel, and Europe, raising new tensions months after the Trump administration carried out airstrikes on three of Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were in lockstep during a press conference following their lunch meeting at Mar-a-Lago, ramping up pressure on Hamas to disarm and threatening to renew attacks on Iran if it seeks to build up its ballistic missile program.

Where does this year’s Gaza cease-fire agreement leave Palestinians and Israelis?

Israel has officially fielded a new SIGMA 155 self-propelled howitzer and an Iron Beam laser system.

French Navy intercepts $142 million of illicit drugs during Arabian Sea patrols that are part of an ongoing mission focused on maritime security for CTF 150, currently under the leadership of Saudi Arabia.

SPACE THREATS

China reached 90 orbital launches in 2025 with consecutive Long March missions deploying Guowang megaconstellation satellites and the advanced Fengyun-4C weather spacecraft in GEO.

The Trump administration’s plan to dismantle a leading atmospheric science center, NCAR, would also have implications for space science.

NORTH KOREA THREAT

North Korea launched multiple cruise missiles, another demonstration since Dec. 24 of the regime’s missile capabilities.

INTERNATIONAL SECURITY

Japan Defense Ministry suspends Kawasaki Heavy Industries for submarine engine data fraud.

US MILITARY

Trump scrambled Navy ship-naming traditions with announcement of new “Trump-class” battleship, to be called USS Defiant, featuring nuclear-tipped missiles and laser defenses.

The Army’s 10th Mountain Division formed a new unit focused on using drones offensively.

END of PDB

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.

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