Cyberwarfare and the safety of key infrastructure are expected to be the top issues discussed at the annual US-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference, which started in Williamsburg, Virginia, today.
The semi-official three-day conference, which has been held since 2012, is a key event for defense and security officials from Taiwan and the US to exchange thoughts and views on threats and challenges in the Taiwan Strait.
The US-Taiwan Business Council, which organized the event, said that American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Chair Laura Rosenberger; retired admiral Scott Harbinson Swift, former commander of the US Pacific Fleet; retired lieutenant general Steven Rudder, former commanding general of the US Marine Corps Forces, Pacific; and former US assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs Randall Shriver would be attending the event.
Photo: CNA
The delegation from Taiwan, led by Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Hung-hui (柏鴻輝), includes Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), director of the Institute for National Defense and Security Research’s Division of Defense Strategy and Resources; retired lieutenant general Mike Tien (田在勤); retired admiral Richard Chen (陳永康); and Taiwan Security Analysis Center Director Mei Fu-shing (梅復興).
Panelists are to discuss issues including the Ukraine war, the most serious threats and emerging threats Taiwan faces and supply chain challenges that could negatively affect the ability of the US and Taiwan to meet identified threats.
Other key issues include how the US’ view of Taiwanese defense policy is changing, and how that might change after elections in Taiwan and the US next year.
There are also to be sessions focusing on gaps in Taiwan-US defense cooperation, cybersecurity as an emerging but crucial front in the event of a cross-strait conflict and the role that strategic paralysis of Taiwan’s critical infrastructure might play in a potential conflict.
The conference was held online in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2021, Major General Yu Chien-feng (余劍鋒), then director-general of the Defense Mission at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US, served as Taiwan’s representative to the event.
A delegation was sent to the conference last year for the first time since 2020, led by then-deputy minister of national defense Wang Shin-long (王信龍).
NEXT GENERATION: The four plants in the Central Taiwan Science Park, designated Fab 25, would consist of four 1.4-nanometer wafer manufacturing plants, TSMC said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) plans to begin construction of four new plants later this year, with the aim to officially launch production of 2-nanometer semiconductor wafers by late 2028, Central Taiwan Science Park Bureau director-general Hsu Maw-shin (許茂新) said. Hsu made the announcement at an event on Friday evening celebrating the Central Taiwan Science Park’s 22nd anniversary. The second phase of the park’s expansion would commence with the initial construction of water detention ponds and other structures aimed at soil and water conservation, Hsu said. TSMC has officially leased the land, with the Central Taiwan Science Park having handed over the
AUKUS: The Australian Ambassador to the US said his country is working with the Pentagon and he is confident that submarine issues will be resolved Australian Ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd on Friday said that if Taiwan were to fall to China’s occupation, it would unleash China’s military capacities and capabilities more broadly. He also said his country is working with the Pentagon on the US Department of Defense’s review of the AUKUS submarine project and is confident that all issues raised will be resolved. Rudd, who served as Australian prime minister from 2007 to 2010 and for three months in 2013, made the remarks at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado and stressed the longstanding US-Australia alliance and his close relationship with the US Undersecretary
‘WORLD WAR III’: Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene said the aid would inflame tensions, but her amendment was rejected 421 votes against six The US House of Representatives on Friday passed the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for fiscal 2026, which includes US$500 million for Taiwan. The bill, which totals US$831.5 billion in discretionary spending, passed in a 221-209 vote. According to the bill, the funds for Taiwan would be administered by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency and would remain available through Sept. 30, 2027, for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative. The legislation authorizes the US Secretary of Defense, with the agreement of the US Secretary of State, to use the funds to assist Taiwan in procuring defense articles and services, and military training. Republican Representative
TAIWAN IS TAIWAN: US Representative Tom Tiffany said the amendment was not controversial, as ‘Taiwan is not — nor has it ever been — part of Communist China’ The US House of Representatives on Friday passed an amendment banning the US Department of Defense from creating, buying or displaying any map that shows Taiwan as part of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The “Honest Maps” amendment was approved in a voice vote on Friday as part of the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for the 2026 fiscal year. The amendment prohibits using any funds from the act to create, buy or display maps that show Taiwan, Kinmen, Matsu, Penghu, Wuciou (烏坵), Green Island (綠島) or Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) as part of the PRC. The act includes US$831.5 billion in
RSS