We will build a military capable of denying aggression anywhere in the First Island Chain. But the American military cannot, and should not have to, do this alone. Our allies must step up and spend—and more importantly do—much more for collective defense. America’s diplomatic efforts should focus on pressing our First Island Chain allies and partners to allow the U.S. military greater access to their ports and other facilities, to spend more on their own defense, and most importantly to invest in capabilities aimed at deterring aggression. This will interlink maritime security issues along the First Island Chain while reinforcing U.S. and allies’ capacity to deny any attempt to seize Taiwan or achieve a balance of forces so unfavorable to us as to make defending that island impossible.
Given President Trump’s insistence on increased burden-sharing from Japan and South Korea, we must urge these countries to increase defense spending, with a focus on the capabilities—including new capabilities—necessary to deter adversaries and protect the First Island Chain. We will also harden and strengthen our military presence in the Western Pacific, while in our dealings with Taiwan and Australia we maintain our determined rhetoric on increased defense spending.
By Lee I-chia / Taipei Times Staff Reporter
Sun, Apr 12, 2026 page 1
https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2026/04/12/2003855439
In light of China’s authoritarian expansion and military threat, democratic countries should reconceptualize the First Island Chain as a single theater, and build a collective and coordinated democratic shield to deter aggression, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) told a forum in Taipei yesterday [Apr. 11].
Lin made the remark at the “Shield of Democracy: The First Island Chain Social Resilience Cooperation Forum” held by the Formosa Republican Association and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Drone Diplomacy Task Force.
“We are confronting a reality that is becoming clearer day by day. The First Island Chain is no longer a line on a map, it has become a major front line for global freedom, democracy and order,” Lin said.
Countries in the First Island Chain prioritize preventing war and preserving peace, but “peace is never sustained by hope alone,” as true peace relies on “credible deterrence” that shows those that seek to destroy it that they cannot succeed, he said.
China’s mounting military pressure, gradual intimidation, cognitive warfare and economic coercion against Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines and the US are not isolated incidents, but part of a coordinated security threat, he added.
“We can no longer rely on independent defense and response systems. We must move toward building a collective and coordinated democratic shield for the first island chain,” Lin said.
“We must begin to understand the First Island Chain through the lens of a single theater,” he said, adding that it includes the Taiwan Strait, the East and South China seas, the Miyako Strait, the Bashi Channel, and their surrounding sea and air spaces.
These seemingly separate domains are increasingly being integrated into one strategic framework: authoritarian expansionism, “gray zone” tactics, electromagnetic disruption, supply chain coercion and cognitive warfare, Lin said.
Therefore, the First Island Chain should be viewed as a single theater where countries jointly monitor the situation, issue joint warnings, conduct joint deployments and jointly maintain resilience, he said.
Low-cost and high-endurance uncrewed systems are key components of the democratic shield, as they are essential to protecting sea lanes and other sea infrastructure, as well as central to establishing an “asymmetrical” framework that raises the cost of invasion and extends resilience, Lin said.
Low-altitude airspace is more than a battle space; it is also a space of governance, carrying out peacetime tasks such as daily coastal patrols, bridge inspections, mountain search and rescue, port security, disaster response, and logistics for outlying islands — becoming a part of national resilience, he added.
“Building a democratic shield should not stop in wartime. It should be built up step by step in peacetime governance,” Lin said. “If uncrewed devices are the nervous system of the democratic shield, then democratic supply chains are its backbone.”
If an uncrewed system could be paralyzed in wartime, data cannot be integrated in a crisis, maintenance resources cannot be replenished quickly, or training has not reached optimal levels in peacetime, then even the most advanced equipment would struggle to provide credible deterrence, he said.
The key to a democratic shield for the First Island Chain comes down to “whether we can build a comprehensive framework that links research, development, manufacturing, validation, training, maintenance and deployment into one coherent system,” he added.
發布時間:2026-04-11
資料來源:非政府組織國際事務會
2026/04/11
第143號新聞稿
社團法人福和會本(4)月11日在台舉辦「『民主之盾』:第一島鏈全社會韌性合作論壇」,邀集含前美國印太司令部陸軍司令佛林(Charles A. Flynn)在內之美國、日本、韓國及菲律賓等國的國防及戰略研究專家學者來台與會,外交部長林佳龍應邀於開幕典禮致詞。林部長強調,我們必須將第一島鏈視為「單一戰區」,面對來自中國的軍事壓迫、灰色地帶脅迫、認知作戰及經濟脅迫,共同建立集體協作的第一島鏈「民主之盾」則是首要目標。
林部長指出,無人載具系統是建構「民主之盾」的重要元素,也是發展不對稱戰略的關鍵。台灣應追求成為無人載具系統之印太樞紐,並扮演民主供應鏈關鍵節點、制度創新示範者,以及國際訓練與能力建構平台。
林部長強調,台灣將與美、日、韓、菲等理念相近國家,共同建構具信任度的韌性機制以及具融合度的非紅供應鏈。民主之盾並非一堵牆,而是一張連結網,它是由前線部署、無人系統與民主供應鏈維持的動態韌性架構,期盼各國能將單一戰區的觀念轉化為具體行動,將第一島鏈由前線轉化為穩定、合作與自由之鏈。
外交部「無人機外交小組」並於當(11)日下午與福和會合辦「印太第一島鏈X無人機韌性供應鏈」研討會,由台灣卓越無人機海外商機聯盟(TEDIBOA)、社團法人中華民國國際經濟合作協會及財團法人工業技術研究院協辦。研討會由陳彥升理事長引言,並由無人機外交小組執行長江振瑋領銜,特別邀請前日本自衛隊統合幕僚長岩崎茂上將、工研院院長張培仁、中科院航空所所長邱祖湘、雷虎科技董事長陳冠如及漢翔航空軍業處處長蔡明晃擔任與談人,討論我國如何在威權主義威脅下,藉由產官學界之跨領域合作平台,促進無人機產業發展,建構非紅供應鏈的亞太中心,並拓展我國關鍵產業之全球商機。該場有來自各領域近80人參加。
April 23, 2025
The US and Japan are rapidly strengthening their military presence in the Nansei Islands (Ryukyu Chain) to deter China, shifting from a primarily defensive posture to active deterrence, with a focus on Okinawa, Miyako (宮古島), Ishigaki (石垣島), and Yonaguni (最靠近台灣的與那國島). Japan is deploying anti-ship/air defense missiles and upgrading units, while the US focuses on integrating Marine Littoral Regiments.
Japanese Ground Self-Defense Forces (JGSDF) Deployment
Missile and Surveillance Units: JGSDF has deployed anti-ship and surface-to-air guided missiles, along with coastal surveillance and electronic warfare units, on Amami, Miyako, and Ishigaki islands.
Yonaguni Garrison: Located only 110 kilometers from Taiwan, this base houses surveillance, electronic warfare units, and has plans for surface-to-air missile units.
Upgrade to Division: Japan plans to upgrade the JGSDF 15th Brigade, based in Naha, into a full division, significantly increasing personnel numbers in the area.
"Specific Use" Bases: Several airports and ports in the Nansei region (南西地區) are being upgraded for dual civil-military use to enhance logistical support during a potential conflict.
US Military Activity and Joint Operations
Marine Littoral Regiments (MLRs): The U.S. Marine Corps plans to utilize specialized regiments geared toward island defense and sea denial within the first island chain, including the Nansei Islands.
Joint Exercises: The annual USMC-JGSDF "Iron Fist" exercise has shifted to southwest Japan to improve combat interoperability in the region.
Rapid Deployment Units: Joint strategies often center on utilizing rapid response units to counter attempts to alter the regional status quo, particularly near Taiwan.
Strategic Objectives
Anti-Access/Area Denial (A2/AD): The combined presence creates an "island shield," restricting freedom of maneuver for Chinese naval forces in the East China Sea and strengthening defenses for the surrounding waters.
Taiwan Contingency Planning: The build-up is directly motivated by potential threats to Taiwan, with the goal of creating a "scrum" to ensure stability and deter aggression.
US Forward Military Deployments in Northern Philippines Near Taiwan
The US military is increasing rotational deployments to the Batanes and Babuyan Islands, focusing on securing the Luzon Strait near Taiwan through joint exercises like Balikatan and KAMANDAG. These missions involve deploying Marines from the 3d Marine Littoral Regiment (3d MLR) to set up sensors, radars, and NMESIS missile systems (Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System) to simulate anti-ship operations.
Key Deployment Details & Activities
Strategic Location: The islands are strategically located in the "First Island Chain" to observe, and potentially block, the Bashi Channel in a Taiwan contingency.
Units Involved: U.S. Marines (3d MLR), U.S. Army (1st Multi-Domain Task Force), and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
Key Terrain Security Operations (MKTSO): During Exercises Balikatan 25 and KAMANDAG 9, forces have deployed, patrolled, and established surveillance on islands in the Batanes chain.
Weapon Systems: The U.S. Marines have deployed NMESIS—a robotic anti-ship missile launcher—and the Marines Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS) for littoral maneuver.
Sensor Operations: US and Philippine forces have established commercial radar systems on high ground to monitor aircraft and surface vessels.
Specific Areas: Activity has occurred on Batan Island and the northernmost point of Mavulis Island.
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