President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday vowed that the nation would not “concede one step” in defending itself as she inaugurated two frigates purchased from the US.
The two Perry-class guided missile frigates were commissioned in a ceremony at the Zuoying naval base in Kaohsiung.
Built in the 1980s, the frigates were originally named USS Taylor and USS Gary, and were part of a US$1.8 billion arms deal to Taiwan announced in 2015 under then-US president Barack Obama. They have been renamed Ming Chuan (銘傳) and Feng Chia (逢甲).
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
They have “high mobility, high sea resistance and low noise,” and are fitted with the SQR-19 sonar system currently used by the US Navy, the Republic of China Navy said.
The ships are to patrol the Taiwan Strait, it added.
Navy Chief of Staff Vice Admiral Lee Tsung-hsiao (李宗孝) had previously said that the warships’ anti-submarine capabilities are more advanced than the nation’s eight Cheng Kung-class frigates and could have a “deterrent effect” against Chinese submarines.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
“We want to send a clear and firm message from Taiwanese to the international community that we will not concede one step in defending ... Taiwan and protecting our free and democratic way of life,” Tsai said after inspecting the ships.
Beijing’s “military actions in the region not only attempt to weaken Taiwan’s sovereignty, but also damage regional peace and stability,” Tsai said.
She highlighted the unconventional “three warfare” threats from the Chinese People’s Liberation Army: psychological, public opinion and legal warfare.
The global security situation is undergoing rapid change and the nation is facing a new array of security challenges, including China’s military exercises near the nation’s periphery, she said.
Beijing deploys conventional and unconventional military methods against Taiwan, including leveraging information technology, the Internet and new media to flood Taiwan with disinformation, she said.
Incessant cyberattacks on the nation’s government and enterprises are a national security threat that Taiwan must confront by self-strengthening — its unchanging principle to protect its place in the world, she said.
“It is my solemn hope that the armed forces will follow three noes: no forgetting the mission to defend Taiwan, no giving up on safeguarding regional peace and stability, and no forgetting the threat of foreign forces,” she said.
The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) in a news release said that the sale of the warships contributes to the military balance in the Indo-Pacific region.
“This sale is consistent with US commitments under the Taiwan Relations Act to provide military articles that support Taiwan’s self-defense,” the institute said.
The frigates “will improve Taiwan’s capability in current and future defensive efforts, and further Taiwan’s continuing work to modernize its armed forces,” it said.
The AIT said it sent representatives to yesterday’s ceremony, including AIT Kaohsiung head Matthew O’Connor and members of the AIT team “to signify our enduring support to Taiwan’s defense under the provisions of the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979.”
LONG FLIGHT: The jets would be flown by US pilots, with Taiwanese copilots in the two-seat F-16D variant to help familiarize them with the aircraft, the source said The US is expected to fly 10 Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 70/72 jets to Taiwan over the coming months to fulfill a long-awaited order of 66 aircraft, a defense official said yesterday. Word that the first batch of the jets would be delivered soon was welcome news to Taiwan, which has become concerned about delays in the delivery of US arms amid rising military tensions with China. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said the initial tranche of the nation’s F-16s are rolling off assembly lines in the US and would be flown under their own power to Taiwan by way
OBJECTS AT SEA: Satellites with synthetic-aperture radar could aid in the detection of small Chinese boats attempting to illegally enter Taiwan, the space agency head said Taiwan aims to send the nation’s first low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite into space in 2027, while the first Formosat-8 and Formosat-9 spacecraft are to be launched in October and 2028 respectively, the National Science and Technology Council said yesterday. The council laid out its space development plan in a report reviewed by members of the legislature’s Education and Culture Committee. Six LEO satellites would be produced in the initial phase, with the first one, the B5G-1A, scheduled to be launched in 2027, the council said in the report. Regarding the second satellite, the B5G-1B, the government plans to work with private contractors
MISSION: The Indo-Pacific region is ‘the priority theater,’ where the task of deterrence extends across the entire region, including Taiwan, the US Pacific Fleet commander said The US Navy’s “mission of deterrence” in the Indo-Pacific theater applies to Taiwan, Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Stephen Koehler told the South China Sea Conference on Tuesday. The conference, organized by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), is an international platform for senior officials and experts from countries with security interests in the region. “The Pacific Fleet’s mission is to deter aggression across the Western Pacific, together with our allies and partners, and to prevail in combat if necessary, Koehler said in the event’s keynote speech. “That mission of deterrence applies regionwide — including the South China Sea and Taiwan,” he
‘NARWHAL’: The indigenous submarine completed its harbor acceptance test recently and is now under heavy guard as it undergoes tests in open waters, a source said The Hai Kun (海鯤), the nation’s first indigenous defense submarine, yesterday began sea trials, sailing out of the Port of Kaohsiung, a military source said. Also known as the “Narwhal,” the vessel departed from CSBC Corp, Taiwan’s (台灣國際造船) shipyard at about 8am, where it had been docked. More than 10 technicians and military personnel were on deck, with several others standing atop the sail. After recently completing its harbor acceptance test, the vessel has started a series of sea-based trials, including tests of its propulsion and navigational systems, while partially surfaced, the source said. The Hai Kun underwent tests in the port from
RSS