China responds by putting its nuclear arsenal on a heightened state of alert. China knows that it does not have the capability to devastate the US, but it can destroy most of the West Coast. The Chinese leadership is hoping that their nuclear capability will deter you from becoming more involved in the conflict.

The heightened alert of the nuclear arsenals has raised the stakes of the conflict. This crisis could result in a China-US nuclear war over Taiwan. To lower the stakes to a conventional level you could order your nuclear forces off of alert and send the Navy into the Formosa Strait. Or, you could attempt to resolve the conflict on a diplomatic level, rather than a military one. Finally, if you think that China will eventually realize that its nuclear forces are inferior as compared to yours, then you could make a statement that the US is ready to use nuclear weapons in the defense of Taiwan. A nuclear statement would hopefully intimidate China into calling off the invasion.

You decide to...