U.S. Navy SEALs Training for Potential China-Taiwan Conflict: Report

TaiwanPlus News

The Financial Times says the elite U.S. special forces unit SEAL Team Six has been training for over a year on how they'd respond in the event of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan.

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00:00SEAL TEAM 6, THE U.S. NAVY UNIT KNOWN FOR KILLING OSAMA BIN LADEN IN 2011, IS PREPARING

00:07FOR A POSSIBLE CONFLICT BETWEEN CHINA AND TAIWAN.

00:11THAT'S ACCORDING TO AN EXCLUSIVE REPORT BY THE FINANCIAL TIMES.

00:15REECE AYERS IS LIVE FOR US IN TAIPEI WITH THE DETAILS.

00:18REECE, WHAT'S IN THAT REPORT?

00:23Well it's news that will likely encourage many in Taiwan.

00:27U.S. Navy SEAL TEAM 6 has quite a formidable reputation.

00:32They're among the most capable military in the U.S. and perhaps even across the world.

00:37As you mentioned there, Leslie, they famously took out Bin Laden in 2011.

00:43And now, the Financial Times reports, that squad has been training for over a year at

00:48their base in Virginia, preparing for a possible Chinese invasion of Taiwan.

00:55Now that report doesn't reveal too many details about what that training involves.

01:00But a spokesperson from the U.S. Special Operations Command said its forces prepare and train

01:07for a wide range of contingencies.

01:11Now Taiwan Plus today did reach out to Taiwan's Defense Ministry for comment, who simply acknowledged

01:16that yes, they do cooperate with the U.S. in terms of military exchange, but they didn't

01:23give specifics and they had no comment about what the U.S. is doing in Virginia.

01:30I've also spoken to defense analysts who say that they're not surprised that these kinds

01:35of training programs are taking place at any moment in time.

01:39The U.S. is likely engaged in many training initiatives around the world, although there

01:45was some surprise expressed at the fact that this information was even leaked.

01:50Analysts also say that SEAL Team 6 is especially designed for training and testing out new

01:57tactics, and that they often go on missions to places where others wouldn't, crossing

02:03enemy lines and searching out key targets.

02:07Now the U.S.'s position regarding a cross-strait conflict has long been that it would provide

02:14Taiwan with the means it needs to defend itself, but that line stops short of saying

02:20that the U.S. would actively get involved.

02:23And while these preparations are no guarantee that that would change and that the U.S. would

02:28jump in, it will likely give Beijing a little more pause and perhaps force them to reconsider

02:36the potential costs of an invasion of Taiwan.

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