Wilder said the Bush administration had told Taiwan that it was not denying it any of the weapons approved in 2001, but would leave the decision to Obama.
“We wanted to leave the door open for the next US administration to do its own review in consultation with Taiwan to decide on future arms sales,” he said.
In Taipei yesterday, panelists attending a forum hosted by the Institute for Taiwan Defense and Strategic Studies urged the government to continue to develop a short-range missile program initiated under the former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government.
In 2002, Taiwan successfully test-fired the Hsiung Feng-II anti-ship missile, developed by the military-run Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology.
The missile has a range exceeding 150km and can be fired from land, sea or air. Taiwan was also developing the Hsiung Feng-III, with a range of 300km that would make China’s southern and eastern coasts possible targets. The missiles were developed with the aim of deterring the People’s Liberation Army navy, the government said at the time.
Since taking office in May, the Ma administration has been accused by DPP lawmakers of appeasing China by shying away from developing offensive weapons.
Former deputy minister of national defense Michael Tsai (蔡明憲) yesterday said he was concerned the Ma government could mothball the programs.
Former DPP legislator Lee Wen-chung (李文忠), another panelist at the forum, said Ma and the National Security Council seemed to have adopted the view, expounded by US Naval War College professor William Murray in an article last year, that Taiwan should build a strong homeland defense capability with less emphasis on air and sea power.
“Without appropriate air force and naval capabilities, public will would collapse on the first or second day [of an invasion],” Lee said.
“Military experts have said that the military balance [in the Taiwan Strait] tipped in China’s favor in 2007 and that from that year on, Taiwan would not be able to catch up. Taiwan should therefore quickly develop a military strategy for asymmetric warfare,” he said.
Lee added that one of the most effective strategies in such a scenario was the use of surgical missile strikes.
The military should also develop cruise missiles with a range of 1,000km and request Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) and High-speed Anti-Radiation Missiles (HARM) from the US, Lee said.
Additional Reporting by Rich Chang
RSS