Washington and Beijing are engaged in an increasingly intense contest spanning nearly all domains of power — and the stakes could not be higher. It’s a competition between the world’s leading constitutional democracy and the world’s leading authoritarian power. While this contest between the U.S. and China is a global one, it’s most acute in Taiwan where the free people there are confronting the very real prospect of military aggression by the Chinese Communist Party. Indeed, if there is to be a war between the United States and China, many expect that it would begin in the Taiwan Strait.

To help illustrate why Taiwan matters and exactly what steps the U.S. must take to defend Taipei and counter Beijing, guest host Bradley Bowman — senior director of FDD’s Center on Military and Political Power — is joined by top experts RADM (Ret) Mark Montgomery and Elbridge Colby.

RADM (Ret) Mark Montgomery is the senior director of FDD’s Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation. After his 32 years in the U.S. Navy as a nuclear-trained surface warfare officer, Mark served as the policy director for the Senate Armed Services Committee under the leadership of Senator John McCain and later as the executive director of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission.

Elbridge Colby is the Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy and Force Development, and he spearheaded the development of the 2018 National Defense Strategy. His recent book “The Strategy of Denial: American Defense in an Age of Great Power Conflict” extensively and expertly details the China threat — and what the U.S. response should be.