US officials have agreed to bring forward a proposal to the National Guard Association of the US to extend membership to Taiwan’s Armed Forces Reserve Command, an anonymous high-ranking defense official said on Sunday.
The US National Guard routinely conducts joint exercises with the military reserve commands of US allies, some of which possess membership of the association.
The US Indo-Pacific Command has made a number of specific recommendations to the US government about boosting Taiwan-US military cooperation, including exchanges between the Armed Forces Reserve Command and the National Guard, the official said.
Taiwan has participated in the association’s General Conference and Exhibit for the past two years, as well as observing and participating in multiple disaster relief response drills of the Hawaii National Guard at various levels of command, the official said.
Exchanges between the two countries’ reserve forces will expand, pursuant to new recommendations from the Indo-Pacific Command, the official said.
The Nevada National Guard is to begin an exchange program or programs with Taiwan later this year and other national guard commands belonging to other states could follow suit, the official said.
The National Guard’s General Conference and Exhibit is to afford an opportunity for Taiwanese officers to discuss cooperation with the National Guard and the reserve commands of US allies, the official said.
Taiwan’s exchanges with foreign militaries would benefit materially should Taiwan become a formal member of the National Guard Association, the official said.
The US armed forces and the National Guard’s mission of natural disaster response is increasingly important in light of climate change, which is reflected in its inclusion as part of the conference’s core agenda this year, the official said.
At previous conferences, US officials have praised the Taiwanese military’s proficiency in disaster response, especially the system of deploying units at threatened regions in advance of a typhoon’s landfall and liaison officers at inaccessible areas, the official said.
US officials have highlighted those practices as models for National Guard units to emulate, the official added.
The Ministry of National Defense plans to appoint an officer to head the delegation to the conference, which is to be held in New Orleans from Aug. 24 to Aug. 27, the official said.
Major General Lee Shih-kuo (李世國) and Colonel Lee Chieh (李傑) led the delegation in 2016 and last year as the then-Armed Forces Reserve Command chief of staff and the then-chief of readiness training.
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