ARGUMENT

An expert's point of view on a current event.

The Russian Warship and the South China Sea

What lessons does the sinking of the Moskva have for Taiwan?

By Alexander Wooley, a journalist and former officer in the British Royal Navy.

A Taiwanese frigate launches a U.S.-made Standard missile.

A Taiwanese frigate launches a U.S.-made Standard missile on July 26. SAM YEH/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

OCTOBER 1, 2022, 7:00 AM

On April 14, a country left almost without a navy secured a stunning victory at sea. Ukraine used two land-based anti-ship missiles (ASMs) to sink a major surface combatant: the Russian-guided missile cruiser Moskva. It was a shocking victory—and one that may have lessons for a potential conflict 5,000 miles away, where China may one day use its own arsenal of ASMs to keep the United States and its allies out of the Western Pacific.

Ukraine’s use of a couple of souped-up Kh-35 missiles looks like asymmetric warfare, the sea version of what Ukrainian land forces skillfully used against the Russian army in the early days of the war. Ukraine landed a haymaker on the Moskva, but it was more a target of opportunity than part of a clear strategy. That may limit its application to other conflicts—but it is still being seized on as part of the dense arguments over the best strategy for Taiwan.

For decades, the U.S. Navy’s surface battle groups have been able to steam up to the enemy’s coastline pretty much uncontested. As late as April 13, Russians felt similarly confident about the Black Sea, historically dominated by Russian naval power.

 

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