Containing the Threat of Containerized Missiles

China can hide lethal missile systems inside standard commercial shipping containers, creating a significant threat in a potential war over Taiwan. These containerized weapons blend into global commerce, allowing Beijing to forward-deploy precision weapons without using warships and challenging U.S. commanders in the Indo-Pacific. The U.S. Navy and Coast Guard lack the capacity to inspect the vast number of commercial vessels, making traditional interdiction methods unfeasible. A proposed solution is a hybrid force combining government boarding teams with contractor-owned vessels, which requires establishing a pre-negotiated legal framework for inspections before a crisis.