A Comparative Study of the National Defence Policies of Singapore and Taiwan Between 1965 and 2008
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A Comparative Study of the National Defence Policies of Singapore and Taiwan between 1965 and 2008 By Shang-su Wu Thesis for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2012 Abstract Research on the defence of small states is limited, particularly states in mari- time strategic locations, such as Singapore and Taiwan. While a substantial body of respective research on the security of Singapore and Taiwan is available, there is insufficient comparative research of the national defence of the two states. This dissertation explores and compares the national defence of these two small states in strategic maritime locations. A case-study comparative approach is undertaken in this research of the two countries’ deterrent strategies. This study concludes that Singapore presents a more suitable example for Taiwan in that it is also a small state focusing on keeping the peace and its own survival through the use of appropriate measures of deterrence. The ultimate goal of Taiwan’s deterrence, similar to that of Singapore, is not to engage in war but to maintain the status quo in the short-term. Additionally, Taiwan’s deterrence would also improve Taiwan’s position vis-à-vis China in the long-term as well as bring an assurance that China’s approaches toward Taiwan are firmly based in negotiation and respect for Taiwan. i Table of Contents ABSTRACT…………………………………………………………………………i TABLE OF CONTENTS……………………………………………………….ii Acknowledgements…………………………………………………………….v ABBREVIATIONS……………………………………………………………… vi CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION.………….…...…………………………1 1. THE IMPORTANCE OF SINGAPORE AND TAIWAN………………1 1.1 THE NATIONAL SECURITY OF SMALL STATES………………………………1 1.2 SINGAPORE AND TAIWAN……………………………………………………………3 2. LITERATURE REVIEW………………………………………………………7 2.1 NATIONAL DEFENCE AND SMALL STATES……………………………………7 2.2 SINGAPORE………………………………………………………………………………13 2.3 TAIWAN……………………………………………………………………………………..14 3. RESERCH QUESTIONS………………………………………………………16 4. RATIONALE…………………………………………………………………….17 5. RESEARCH APPROACH……………………………………………………18 5.1 DATA RESOURCES………………………………………………………………………20 5.2 TERMINOLOGY……………………………………………………………………………21 6. CHAPTER OUTLINE…………………………………………………………24 CHAPTER TWO DETERRENCE AND SMALL STATES…………27 1. THE GROUNDS FOR DETERRENCE……………………………………27 2. THE EVOLUTION AND CONTEXT OF DETERRENCE……………29 2.1 NUCLEAR ORIGIN………………………………………………………………………29 ii 2.2 CONVENTIONAL EDITIONS OF DETERRENCE………………………………36 3. PSYCHOLOGICAL APPROACH……………………………………………48 4. SMALL STATE DETERRENCE……………………………………………49 5. THE SPECIAL SIGNIFICANCE OF MARITIME SECURITY FOR SMALL STATES IN MARITIME STRATEGIC LOCATIONS………54 6. CONCLUSION……………………………………………………………………57 CHAPTER THREE TAIWAN’S DETERRENCE STRATEGY……59 1. GEOGRAPHIC CONDITIONS AND HISTORICAL BACKGROUN……………………………………………………………………..59 2. AUTHORITARIAN PERIOD (1965-1988)……………………………64 2.1 FROM “RETAKE THE MAINLAND” TO DEFENDING TAIWAN …64 2.2 UNDERMINING EXTENDED DETERRENCE AND STRUGGLING GENERAL DETERRENCE………………………………………………………78 3. THE PERIOD OF DEMOCRATISATION (1988-2008)……………90 3.1 TRANSFORMATION FROM AUTHORITARIAN REGIME TO DEMOCRACY (1988-1995)………………………………………………………90 3.2 THE CRISIS PHASE (1995-2000)…………………………………………101 3.3 THE MINORITY GOVERNMENT PHASE (2000-2008)……………110 4. CONCLUSION…………………………………………………………………123 CHAPTER FOUR SINGAPORE’S DETERRENCE STRATEGY…129 1. HISTORICAL AND STRATEGIC CONDITIONS……………………129 2. THE ESTABLISHMENT PERIOD (1965-1975)…………………134 iii 3. THE COLD WAR PERIOD (1975-1990)……………………………151 4. THE POST-COLD WAR PERIOD (1990-2008)……..……………164 5. CONCLUSION…………………………………………………………………187 CHAPTER FIVE THE COMPARISON OF NATIONAL DEFENCE BETWEEN SINGAPORE AND TAIWAN…….192 1. EXTENDED DETERRENCE………………………………………………192 2. GENERAL DETERRENCE…………………………………………………195 3. THE LESSONS FOR TAIWAN……………………………………………217 BIBILOGRAPHY………………………………………………………………224 iv Acknowledgements I would like to express my gratitude to all those who gave me the capability and resolve to complete this thesis. First of all, I am deeply indebted to my supervi- sor, Andrew Tian Huat Tan, for his insightful guidance, clear instruction, infinite patience and rapid response to my drafts and questions. His supervision not only significantly accelerated my progress but also set an excellent example to conduct my research. I would also like to thank my co-supervisor, Ji You, for his broad knowledge and advices on my thesis. Next, I very much appreciated the committee of annual progress reviews carried out at the school of social sciences, especially Andrea Benvenuti, for strengthening my thesis through constructive questioning. I would also like to acknowledge the people who assisted me in conducting interviews and material collection. I appreciate that the interviewees, Chong-pin Lin, Kuo-Cheng Chang in Taiwan and Joshua How Hoang Ho and Bernard Fook Weng Lo in Singapore, accepted my requests for interviews and provided me with appropriate material and ideas. I am also grateful to the staff at my school, Katrina Harrison and Diane Taylor, for helping me to apply for the funding to cover the trip to Singapore. I am thankful to my friends, Lucian T.H. Hsu, Shao-Yen Chou, and Winston Yu- Tsang Wu, who readily discussed issues relating to my thesis. Thanks also go to my friends in Sydney, James Chuang, Kristine Shalvey, Naomi Murakami, Asano Tomo- nori, Takaaki Kosaka, Fiona Gordon, and Mette Granvik for giving me a balanced life. I would also like to offer special thanks to my family. Despite suffering from pancreatic cancer, my mother was very interested in my research and life in Aus- tralia through daily Skype conversations in my first year. After she passed away, my father and sisters continued to show interest in my thesis. Another person I want to thank is my girl friend, Janet Castro. Although we have had an “intercontinental relationship” since the beginning of 2010, her endur- ing love has been demonstrated from reading my first draft to listening to my re- hearsal of the presentation in the postgraduate seminar. Without her thoughtful support, I could have not written my thesis with a peaceful mind. Newtown, October 2012 Shang-su Wu v ABBREVIATIONS AAM Air-to-Air Missile ADC Air Defence Council AIDC Aero Development Centre APC Armoured Personnel Carrier ARF ASEAN Regional Forum ASEAN Association of South East Asian Nations ASW Anti-Submarine Warfare AWACS Air Warning and Control System BVR Beyond-Vision-Range C3I Command, Control, Communication and Intelligence C4I Command, Control, Communication, Computer and Intelligence CCP Chinese Communist Party CIS Chartered Industry of Singapore CIWS Close-In Weapon System CPM Communist Party of Malaya CIST Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology DPP Democratic Progress Party vi DPRK Democratic People’s Republic of Korea FPDA Five Power Defence Arrangement FRAM Fleet Rehabilitation And Modernisation GLC Governmental Linked Company HIMARS High Mobility Artillery Rocket System IADS Integrated Air Defence System ICJ International Court of Justice IDF Indigenous Defence Fighter in Ch. 3; the Israeli Defence Forces in Ch. 2 and 4 IFV Infantry Fighting Vehicle IISS International Institute of Strategy Study IT Information Technology JCC Joint Consultative Council KMT Kuomintang, the Chinese Nationalist Party LCM Landing Craft, Mechanised LSD Landing Ship, Dock LST Landing Ship, Tanks MAAG Military Assistance Advisory Group MAD Mutually Assured Destruction MAF Malaysian Armed Forces MBT Main Battle Tank MC Maritime Command vii MINDEF Ministry of Defence MLRS Multi-Launch Rocket System MND Ministry of National Defence NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organisation NPT Non-Proliferation Treaty PAC-3 Patriot Advanced Capability 3 PAP People’s Action Party PGM Precise Guided Munitions PLA People’s Liberation Army PLAAF People’s Liberation Army Air Force PLAN People’s Liberation Army Navy PLANAF People’s Liberation Army Navy Air Force PLO Palestine Liberation Organisation PRC People’s Republic of China PSI Proliferation Security Initiative R&D Research and Development RMA Revolution of Military Affairs RMAF Royal Malaysia Air Force RMN Royal Malaysia Navy ROC Republic of China ROCA Republic of China Army ROCAF Republic of China Air Force viii ROCN Republic of China Navy ROK Republic of Korea RSAF Republic of Singapore Air Force RSN Republic of Singapore Navy SADC Singapore Air Defence Command SAF Singapore Armed Forces SAM Surface-to-Air Missile SARS Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome SCDF Singapore Civil Defence Force SLOC Sea Lines of Communication SSBN Nuclear powered ballistic missile submarine SSK Hunter-killer submarine SSN Nuclear powered attack submarine ST Singapore Technologies TMD Theatre Missile Defence TRA Taiwan Relation Act UAV Unmanned Aerial Vehicle UMNO United Malays National Organisation UN United Nations US United States ix Chapter One Introduction 1. The Importance of Singapore and Taiwan 1.1 The national security of small states The significance of small states is increasing relative to their number and growing interdependency in the world. More and more countries have come into being since the end of the Second World War, and most of these new countries are small states; this is especially true in terms of their military capabilities. Furthermore, the impact of warfare and other events related to national security is far broader than it was in previous eras. Firstly, growing globalisation, through internationally distributed production chains, trade and other international ties, makes interdependency deeper and tighter. Thus, a small armed conflict may shock the global economy by disturbing those connections