The new arms package offered by the US to upgrade Taiwan’s F-16A/B aircraft is not enough to meet Taiwan’s security needs, the US-Taiwan Business Council said in a special commentary on Wednesday.
The commentary by US-Taiwan Business Council president Rupert Hammond-Chambers was written in response to a US announcement on Wednesday that it had decided to offer an upgrade of Taiwan’s F-16A/Bs as part of a US$5.85 billion arms deal for Taiwan.
The administration of US President Barack Obama said it had not made any decision on Taiwan’s request to acquire 66 new F-16C/Ds.
Of the total amount to be spent on the arms procurement package, US$5.3 billion is for the upgrade of the F-16A/Bs, US$500 million for the continuation of a pilot training program at Luke Air Force Base in the US and US$52 million for parts for other types of fighter jets.
“The Council welcomes the Obama administration’s partial commitment to supporting Taiwan’s efforts to upgrade and modernize its air power capabilities,” Hammond-Chambers wrote.
According to the council’s report, The Balance of Air Power in the Taiwan Strait, published earlier this year, Taiwan needs to overhaul its F-16A/Bs to modernize its air force, but renovating existing air fleets is not enough to defend Taiwan from the military threat posed by China and it would only contribute to destabilization of the cross-strait military balance and encourage Chinese adventurism.
Because it is likely to take 10 years to upgrade the existing F-16A/Bs under the new arms deal, a shortfall in maintaining its air fleet and finding replacements for costly Mirage 2000-5s and obsolete F-5s has been created, the council said.
“However, with effective fighter strength weakened by a combination of obsolescence of the F-5E/F fleet and low material availability of the Mirage 2000-5 aircraft, Taiwan’s ability to defend its air space against these likely threat scenarios can be expected to significantly deteriorate over the next few years,” the report said.
The council urged the US government to sell Taiwan new fighters to fill the gap, arguing that it would be much faster for Taiwan to acquire new fighter jets than to renovate old ones.
“The upgrade program is comprehensive, but spans almost 10 years with the first upgraded [F-16]A/B coming as late as the sixth year of the program,” the commentary said. “If the Obama administration were to accept a letter of request for 66 F-16C/Ds now, the entire tranche of new fighters could be delivered before Taiwan receives any of its upgraded F-16A/Bs.”
The number of operational F-16 aircraft would be reduced during the upgrade period, the council said.
The council said the US could have approved the sale of new F-16C/Ds along with F-16A/Bs, as they are not exclusive of each other and running both programs simultaneously would prevent degradation of the air force’s fighter capacity.
By approving the two programs, the US could equip Taiwan with enough ammunition to deter China from aggression or provocation, bringing balance to the cross-strait military power difference, the council said.
The sale of F-16C/Ds to Taiwan is within US interests and fulfills US obligations under the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act to provide Taiwan with defensive capabilities, the commentary said.
It would also provide new job opportunities in the US and help boost economic growth, it said.
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 2:23pm today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was 5.4 kilometers northeast of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 34.9 km, according to the CWA. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was the highest in Hualien County, where it measured 2 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 1 in Yilan county, Taichung, Nantou County, Changhua County and Yunlin County, the CWA said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS