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Lawrence Chung

Taiwan is restructuring its marine corps along US lines to improve its coastal strike capacity as pressure grows from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
Under the plan, the corps will form a new 77th Brigade modelled on the US marine littoral regiment system to create a more agile and modern force, Taiwan’s TVBS news channel reported on Tuesday.
The 77th Brigade was disbanded in 2013 and would be reactivated and equipped with long-range precision strike weapons, similar to those used by the US regiment, TVBS reported.
A military source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the changes were part of Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te’s directives to modernise the island’s defence structure.
“The first phase of the restructuring focuses on the marine corps,” the source said, without elaborating.
Former navy captain Jiang Hsin-biao told TVBS that the new brigade had to have long-range strike capabilities.
“To fulfill its role effectively, the 77th Brigade must be armed with weapons such as the US High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, [Taiwan’s] Hsiung Feng missiles, or US Harpoon missiles,” Jiang said.
“Without such armaments, achieving littoral combat objectives would be difficult.”


The US Marine Corps established the 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment in Hawaii as part of its Indo-Pacific strategy, designing it to have rapid manoeuvrability in contested littoral – or coastal – environments.
The regiment consists of a littoral combat team, an anti-air battalion, a logistics battalion, and a communications company. The US initiated a restructuring of the regiment in 2021 to counter the PLA’s military expansion in the South China Sea and to support the US’ island-hopping strategy in the Indo-Pacific.
In November 2023, Japan and the US announced plans to compile a joint military strategy for a potential Taiwan conflict, including the deployment of littoral regiments to Japan’s Ryukyu Islands, which encompass Kagoshima and Okinawa prefectures. These units are armed with Himars and other advanced weapons systems.


Analysts said the new 77th Brigade was meant to operate on the same model as the US regiment but would have some limitations.
“The US Marine Littoral Regiment possesses superior mobility and the ability to rapidly manoeuvre across the first island chain,” said Ying-yu Lin, a professor of international relations and strategic studies at Taiwan’s Tamkang University. The first island chain refers to a maritime defence line stretching from Borneo to the Philippines, Japan, and South Korea – all key US allies.
“Without an effective landing platform like the USS America [supercarrier], Taiwan’s version will likely be deployed near the coast, restricting its ability to strike the PLA in a potential conflict.”
Meanwhile, the corps’ 66th Brigade has been reassigned to defend Taipei following concerns over the inability of forces there to respond to potential PLA decapitation strikes and amphibious landings on key coastal zones.
To adapt to its new role, the 66th Brigade is eliminating its tank and artillery units and forming a new drone warfare unit, according to Taiwan’s Liberty Times.
“The drone unit will improve long-range strike capabilities, focusing on intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and attack drones,” an unnamed military source was quoted as saying.
Taiwan’s military reforms come as Beijing continues to assert its claim over the island, which it views as part of its territory and must be taken under its control, by force if necessary.
While the United States, like most countries, does not recognise Taiwan as an independent state, it opposes any attempt to take the island by force and remains committed to arming Taiwan for self-defence.


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China

Military

The 77th Brigade will be brought back to life and modelled on the US marine littoral regiment system


The 77th Brigade will be brought back to life and modelled on the US marine littoral regiment system.


Defence