They’re placing them on islands that are closer to the mainland than Taiwan. The Penghu islands are just a little bit closer, but the Dongyin islands are just 30 miles or so from the mainland. Depending on the munition type used, himars rockets could at best just barely reach the mainland from the large island of Taiwan. From Dongyin especially, they could theoretically strike something like 100 miles inland, or cover a much larger section of the coastline. Presumably they could reach some military bases along that coast from those islands too.
56
AttentionOpening89842 days ago
+28
They will be taken out in the first minute of an invasion by china
28
dr_stre2 days ago
+37
They’re certainly not going to last all that long, I’ll agree with that. They’ll have over 100 HIMARS by the time we’re done delivering them, and I’d only anticipate a handful are kept on these islands. Dongyin especially is going to be vulnerable as it’s much closer and smaller. I suspect Taiwan’s idea is to invest a little bit in these positions from a defensive standpoint and plans for quick relocation and firing, but have them dialed in for maximum damage prior to they inevitably get taken out. Something like “ok, China took out 8 of our HIMARS but before they could do that we did major damage to the four naval bases within reach, hampering their ability invade”.
37
mothtoalamp2 days ago
+17
Any military buildup significant enough to cross the strait would be seen in advance and Taiwan would have ample opportunity to use/move them.
17
MagicDartProductions2 days ago
+34
The Ukrainian invasion is peanuts compared to the hardware and manpower they'd need to take Taiwan and everyone saw the Russian buildup for Ukraine weeks in advance. There's no feasible way to hide this kind of an invasion.
34
ThellraAK1 day ago
+1
Isn't that sort of buildup only needed if you care about the first few waves?
1
MagicDartProductions1 day ago
+3
If you're wanting to actually achieve objectives absolutely not. Even if you were just rushing a land border you still couldn't just throw meatwall waves, that's exactly why the Ukrainian war is such a quagmire now.
3
mothtoalamp1 day ago
+1
It's difficult to talk about what is needed for a mainland invasion of Taiwan without going into a whole wall of text. I encourage you to look it up, there are numerous fascinating content creators that have covered it in length with a relative lack of bias.
1
tacmac102 days ago
+4
High mobility means it moves fast thus hard to target. HiMARS can lay and fire in 30 seconds and be off the firing point in 45 seconds.
4
subtle_bullshit1 day ago
+1
There’s a finite amount of space it can move to.
1
phantom-firion2 days ago
-9
lol the Chinese military does not have the expertise to pull off such a surprise attack. the Chinese have not engaged in any sort of military activity against any adversary aside from unarmed border conflicts with Indian border guards since the 1970s. Their supposed stealth aircraft can actually be tracked very easily on thermal imaging due to underpowered engines not designed for the craft they are installed on. They lack a modern strategic bombing force, have no experience in performing tactical airlifts or amphibious invasions. Their military structure is infamously corrupt and top heavy with few if any opportunities for the on the ground initiative or the application of reform. You can have a lot of decent shit in your army, but if your grunts are too dumb to develop effective tactics and your leadership has no experience or impetus for self improvement their actuslly effectiveness in a coordinated combined arms amphibious operation against hardened targets is suspect at best
-9
tradetofi2 days ago
+9
Recycled garbage from China Observers?
[China is America’s Military Equal Now And In Any Future Fight, Marine General Warns](https://www.twz.com/sea/china-is-americas-military-equal-now-and-in-any-future-fight-marine-general-warns)
9
Lol-I-Wear-Hats1 day ago
+10
The United States couldn’t pull off a surprise invasion of Taiwan either
10
Terrible-Group-96021 day ago
+6
Yep. No-one can
6
Desertcow1 day ago
+1
Seriously doubt the US could invade Taiwan either. The country's naturally pretty fortified and they've been preparing for this exact scenario with western backing for decades
1
phantom-firion2 days ago
-9
Nope analysis based on publicly available open source intelligence and a thorough study of modern Chinese military history and doctrinal development as well a general study of both the culture of the CCP’s leadership and within the PLA especially with regards to how it develops NCOs and Jr. level officers.
-9
tradetofi2 days ago
+2
I often see similar garbage such as NCOs posted on TWZ too. China hired western fighter pilots to train their own and to understand the strengths and weakness of the West.
2
Grouchy-Donkey-86092 days ago
+10
Also, do we really think we know the true capabilities of China? Everything is so secret.
Prob true for any super power.
10
falconzord1 day ago
+1
Kinmen island is even more fun
1
dr_stre1 day ago
+1
It is, but it’s also not on the list of HiMARS locations, so it’s not really relevant here.
1
Xuanne2 days ago
+18
Wouldn't putting the HIMARs on a small island ironically limit their mobility?
18
UnknownHero21 day ago
+7
These islands are pretty big. Dongyin has a large town, and together with the Penghu Islands its like 50 square miles of land.
Even the US does not have the capacity to level an entire town and every treeline in an area that big.
Even if China does has the capacity to do that level of bombing Taiwan would much MUCH rather have all that boom dropped on some tiny island rather than on on the Taiwan proper.
Games of strategy are usually not about some super secret ultimate combo, but instead are usually about limiting your opponents options until they don't have any good ones left. HIMARs that close to the Chinese mainland simply cannot be ignored since any active HIMARs is going to be result. So now China is forced to play an island hopping strategy rather than rushing for the mainland. It would also be very relevant in some less-than-war scenario like a blockade, where China might try to slowly strangle Taiwan leading Taiwan to be the one to strike the first blow.
7
sth1281 day ago
-3
I'm pretty sure nukes can level an entire town and every treeline in a 50 square mile area.
-3
UnknownHero21 day ago
+7
So I get that this comment is probably for comedy, but that is exactly the kind of low level thinking I was just critiquing.
If there only option is "use nukes to blow up the whole island" you have effectively eliminated a TON of options. Which makes the HIMARs deployment extremely effective.
These are also like a dozen separate islands, so even if they wanted to do that, and they were absolutely positive breaking the nuclear taboo wouldn't cost them anything, they would still have to be cool with detonating several nuclear weapons 80 miles of the coast of the Chinese mainland and then sailing their invasion fleet through the mushroom clouds.
And that's assuming nobody else in the world cares.
7
TheKlebe1 day ago
+1
I am certain that the use of nukes is not without consequences.
The fallout of such weapons could have a negative impact upon the main land as these islands are seemingly pretty close to them.
1
TheTelegraph2 days ago
+20
**From The Telegraph:**
Taiwan will deploy US-made Himars missiles to two islands next to China to counteract the threat posed by Beijing.
The high-mobility artillery rocket systems (Himars) will soon be stationed on the Penghu Islands, an archipelago off Taiwan’s mainland, as well as Dongyin, Taiwan’s northernmost island, which is less than 30 miles off the coast of China.
The deployment comes before a summit between Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, and Donald Trump, the US president, where the issue of Taiwan and its defence capabilities is likely to be high on the agenda.
The deployment of Himars to these islands is primarily to create a “dead zone” that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), would be afraid to enter, a military source told Taiwanese outlet Liberty Times.
Deploying Himars to Penghu or Dongyin rather than from Taiwan’s main island would “exponentially increase” their tactical value by allowing them to reach coastal bases, forcing Chinese troops to withdraw at least 60 miles inland. The source added that this was part of an “offence is the best defence” policy.
China claims Taiwan as part of its territory, despite strong opposition from the government in Taipei, and has not ruled out the use of force to bring the island under its control.
Taipei received its first batch of Himars from the US in 2024 and should have a total of 111 units once all shipments have been received.
It will also have more than 500 army tactical missile systems (ATACMS). These long-range, guided surface-to-surface missiles have a range of up to 185 miles.
From Dongyin, the ATACMS would reach key PLA Rocket Force and navy bases under the Eastern Theater Command across China’s south-eastern Zhejiang and Fujian provinces.
**More here:** [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/05/11/taiwan-to-deploy-himars-to-islands-facing-china/](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/05/11/taiwan-to-deploy-himars-to-islands-facing-china/?WT.mc_id=tmgoff_listnook_himars-to-islands-facing-china/&accesscontrol=facebookchannel_open)
20
Terrible-Group-96021 day ago
-1
Those ATACMS are going to destroy any landing craft like sitting ducks
-1
tacmac1014 hr ago
+1
Atacms don’t have the ability to strike moving targets but other things do.
1
Dragonfruit_61042 days ago
+3
Okay, if it is really deployed on the outer islands, it will be a pile of scrap metal
3
Fearless_Ad_54702 days ago
+4
We can only hope that Chinese drone swarms do not focus too heavily on these two small islands. Honestly, what’s the difference between placing highly mobile combat systems on small islands and the Iraqis immobilizing their tanks in the desert only to have them destroyed during the Second Iraq War? This seems like yet another very naive political move by Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense, just as misguided as their “anti-landing artillery barrage” that involved army tanks stationed less than 10 miles from the shoreline.
4
mothtoalamp2 days ago
+9
Dongyin is covered in bunkers. It wouldn't be easy to hit them, especially if they can move from one to another quickly. Static launchers on the island would be less helpful.
9
tradetofi2 days ago
+2
Are you assuming that the Chinese do not know those bunkers or can't destery them? Also there will be loitering drones 24/7. Even fighter jets can target them easily.
HIMAR's strength is mobility. They need place to move around... Ideally in woods and bushes
2
Potential-Formal86992 days ago
+9
I mean those islands are indefensible and will be abandoned right away once the war starts, so it doesn’t really matter if they can move around or not. The only purpose of deploying HIMARS or any troops there is to serve as an outpost to monitor, stall, and disrupt enemy deployment and buy time for the main island to prepare.
9
Fearless_Ad_54702 days ago
+1
Then I can only hope the US offers a lower price (of course, they'll only sell to Taiwan at double the price). What use are the limited long-range firepower assets deployed within enemy fire range, besides providing the enemy with clear targets? To bombard cities and stop a Chinese invasion?
1
Remarkable_Beach_5452 days ago
+2
To fire off their missles a few times and damage ships/naval bases before being destroyed. Giving the mainland more time to prepare
2
Classicgoose1 day ago
+1
I read that last part in Sir David Attenborough's voice
1
mothtoalamp1 day ago
+1
This assumes the Chinese can launch a surprise attack on the island. Any military buildup significant enough to cross the strait would not be a surprise. If China has to commit to an attack, they have to confidently destroy all the bunkers because HIMARS can move. Putting them on the island means more resource commitment for China in the opening stage on an island that isn't the mainland.
1
zoobrix2 days ago
+4
> just as misguided as their “anti-landing artillery barrage” that involved army tanks stationed less than 10 miles from the shoreline.
That artillery barrage also involves artillery pieces from positions a lot further away from the beach and of course other HIMARS launchers. And Taiwan's strategy is to bombard the few potential landing beaches with everything they have to prevent a Chinese beachhead from even being formed. If Taiwan finds themselves fighting Chinese infantry formations inland with their tanks they've probably already lost.
Saying you're deploying HIMARS to these islands gives China one more problem to consider during an invasion. And you don't even have to deploy many to make them worrying about it. A handful of HIMARS launchers might cause far more Chinese resources being used trying to destroy them, and that is that much less force directed at Taiwan itself. Doesn't sound all that misguided to me. Not mentioned in the article is that Taiwan also has cruise missiles with much longer ranges as well.
Putting HIMARS on the islands is about forcing China to deal with one more threat in any potential invasion, as well as hopefully doing more damage to targets on the Chinese coast.
4
tradetofi2 days ago
+1
30 miles from China. Large drone with standoff munitions will do it.
1
Salt_Bringer2 days ago
+3
The first thing to explode. If it does survive, it would be cool to see it sink a PLA ship.
3
JaVelin-X-1 day ago
Lots of stuff to break in China from those lite islands
0
mixxituk1 day ago
-1
Many Chinese in this comment section
-1
Clueless_PhD1 day ago
I dont think it is a good idea. The island is only 50km away from the mainland, it means that Himars would have hard time running away from long-range fixed-wing drones like Lancet.
0
BlackEagleActual1 day ago
Putting a MLRS famous for high mobility to islands, which have very limited roads and way less maneuver spaces than Taiwan itself,
and make sure these systems being placed right under PRC mainland surveillance system to be fully tracked.
what a great way for these high value assets to be tracked and destoryed in the first hour of war if bullet start flying
0
WelderFamiliar35822 days ago
-11
HIMARS make excellent drone targets.
-11
FremenCoolAid1 day ago
+4
It would be naive to think there won't be drone defense
4
OK-Dravrah74551 day ago
why don't taiwan just turn to their back??? r they stoopid?
0
AspectSpiritual91432 days ago
-11
I read the title as deploying Hamas.
-11
kullwarrior2 days ago
+4
Not a bad idea as long as the rockets comes with hamas. Labors are probably c**** too.
50 Comments