The backlog of US arms sales to Taiwan is worth US$19.17 billion, with F-16s and Abrams tanks making up more than 50 percent of the value, the Cato Institute said in a study published on Monday.
The study drew data from the US Department of Defense’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency and the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
Washington has not released detailed information on delayed arms shipments.
Photo: Ann Wang, Reuters
The Cato Institute broke down the arms backlog into “traditional,” “asymmetric” and “munition” weapons categories and capabilities, with traditional being 63.2 percent of the total, asymmetric comprising 22 percent and munitions 14.8 percent, the study said.
The undelivered traditional capabilities, totaling US$12.113 billion, mainly consisted of US$8 billion of F-16C/D Block 70 jets and US$2 billion of M1A2T Abrams tanks, it said.
The undelivered traditional capabilities also included M109A6 Paladin self-propelled howitzers comprising 3.9 percent of the total backlog, while infrared search and track systems for F-16s comprised 2.6 percent and MK 15 Phalanx close-in weapon systems comprised 2.2 percent, it said.
The traditional capabilities delayed also included MS-110 jet reconnaissance pods (1.9 percent) and AN/SLQ-32 electronic warfare systems for Keelung-class destroyers (0.4 percent), the study said.
However, the backlogged traditional systems would have imposed a high cost on Taiwan’s limited defense resources and would be of “minimal utility” in fighting the Chinese the People’s Liberation Army, it said.
The US should prioritize the delivery of asymmetric capabilities and ammunition “to keep Taipei from running out of reloads quickly in a conflict,” the study said.
The asymmetric capabilities, worth US$4.221 billion, included Harpoon coastal defense systems totaling US$2.37 billion, or 12.4 percent of the backlog, it said.
The undelivered asymmetric capabilities also included MQ-9B uncrewed aerial vehicles comprising 3.1 percent of the backlog and High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems comprising 2.3 percent, it said.
Air-launched Harpoon missiles comprised 1.9 percent of the backlog, Field Information Communication Systems comprised 1.5 percent and Volcano anti-tank mining systems comprised 0.9 percent, it added.
Munitions not yet delivered totaled US$2.835 billion, including AGM-84H SLAM-ER missiles worth US$1.008 billion, or 5.3 percent of the backlog, as well as F-16 munitions comprising 3.2 percent, it said.
In addition, MK 48 heavyweight torpedoes, 30mm rounds, AGM-154C Joint Standoff Weapons, lightweight torpedoes and conversion kits, and AIM-9X Block II missiles accounted for 2.2 percent, 2.2 percent, 1.7 percent, 1 percent, 0.9 percent and 0.4 percent of the backlog respectively, the study said.
MORE VISITORS: The Tourism Administration said that it is seeing positive prospects in its efforts to expand the tourism market in North America and Europe Taiwan has been ranked as the cheapest place in the world to travel to this year, based on a list recommended by NerdWallet. The San Francisco-based personal finance company said that Taiwan topped the list of 16 nations it chose for budget travelers because US tourists do not need visas and travelers can easily have a good meal for less than US$10. A bus ride in Taipei costs just under US$0.50, while subway rides start at US$0.60, the firm said, adding that public transportation in Taiwan is easy to navigate. The firm also called Taiwan a “food lover’s paradise,” citing inexpensive breakfast stalls
US PUBLICATION: The results indicated a change in attitude after a 2023 survey showed 55 percent supported full-scale war to achieve unification, the report said More than half of Chinese were against the use of force to unify with Taiwan under any circumstances, a survey conducted by the Atlanta, Georgia-based Carter Center and Emory University found. The survey results, which were released on Wednesday in a report titled “Sovereignty, Security, & US-China Relations: Chinese Public Opinion,” showed that 55.1 percent of respondents agreed or somewhat agreed that “the Taiwan problem should not be resolved using force under any circumstances,” while 24.5 percent “strongly” or “somewhat” disagreed with the statement. The results indicated a change in attitude after a survey published in “Assessing Public Support for (Non)Peaceful Unification
PLUGGING HOLES: The amendments would bring the legislation in line with systems found in other countries such as Japan and the US, Legislator Chen Kuan-ting said Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) has proposed amending national security legislation amid a spate of espionage cases. Potential gaps in security vetting procedures for personnel with access to sensitive information prompted him to propose the amendments, which would introduce changes to Article 14 of the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法), Chen said yesterday. The proposal, which aims to enhance interagency vetting procedures and reduce the risk of classified information leaks, would establish a comprehensive security clearance system in Taiwan, he said. The amendment would require character and loyalty checks for civil servants and intelligence personnel prior to
The China Coast Guard has seized control of a disputed reef near a major Philippine military outpost in the South China Sea, Beijing’s state media said, adding to longstanding territorial tensions with Manila. Beijing claims sovereignty over almost all of the South China Sea and has waved away competing assertions from other countries as well as an international ruling that its position has no legal basis. China and the Philippines have engaged in months of confrontations in the contested waters, and Manila is taking part in sweeping joint military drills with the US which Beijing has slammed as destabilizing. The Chinese coast guard
RSS