Through speech acts by Chinese policymakers and the publication of defense white papers, China has long signaled its intentions to ‘reunify’ Taiwan with the Chinese mainland, with the option of using military force if deemed necessary. The United States has a legal obligation under the Taiwan Relations Act to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself but responds with strategic ambiguity regarding whether it would militarily intervene should China invade Taiwan. To counter any potential U.S. involvement China is developing A2/AD capabilities to prevent United States military forces from entering the theater of operations. Using a qualitative research methodology, this short paper will examine how the United States military can counter China’s A2/AD capabilities in a Taiwan contingency scenario. It will achieve this by firstly examining China’s A2/AD capabilities and then secondly by assessing U.S. weapon platforms, tactics, and strategy. The paper will then preliminarily conclude that the United States would be unlikely to inflict a decisive defeat, instead the conflict would involve the gradual erosion of Chinese A2/AD capabilities over a period of time. 

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