China’s leader has repeatedly threatened to conquer Taiwan by force. According to widespread media reports, China’s leader told President Biden directly that he intends to conquer Taiwan. Any conflict China starts over Taiwan or in the Pacific generally would be extremely disruptive to state supply chains and critical infrastructure.
To prepare for this potential disruption, states should audit procurement supply chains in order to assess the risk of disruption in the event of a Pacific conflict, and create a contingency plan against the risk of supply chain disruption.
In addition, they should direct the state National Guard and other state defense forces to work with executive agencies to assess what state assets might need physical protection and what assets might come under cyberattack in the event of a Pacific conflict. Once identified, these assets must be hardened.
In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, Americans know all too well the impact of a global disruption caused by the Communist Party of China. In the event of such a future conflict, America could face a disruption much larger than that of the coronavirus. The time to take action and prepare is now.
