The US Department of State on Wednesday approved a US$75 million weapons sale package to Taiwan, while visiting US lawmakers expressed optimism over addressing the backlog in arms deliveries.
The Taiwan Advanced Tactical Data Link System Upgrade Planning and related equipment have been approved, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a news release.
The agency delivered the required certification notifying the US Congress of the possible sale on the same day, it said.
Photo: Cheng I-hwa, Bloomberg
Taiwan has requested to buy “Foreign Military Sales (FMS) Cross Domain Solutions (CDS); High Assurance devices; Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers; communications equipment; requirements analysis; engineering; technical services; and other related elements of logistics and program support,” it said.
Implementation of the proposed sale would require an estimated 200 US government personnel and 200 US contractor representatives to travel to Taiwan to provide engineering and technical support services, as well as program and technical reviews, it said.
The proposed sale would help Taiwan enhance its communications and network security, and enable the secure flow of tactical information through the infrastructure it provides, it said.
By supporting Taiwan’s continuing efforts to modernize its armed forces and maintain a credible defensive capability, the proposed sales “serves US national, economic and security interests,” it added.
In Taipei, Presidential Office spokeswoman Lin Yu-chan (林聿禪) yesterday thanked the US government for continuing to fulfill its commitments to Taiwan’s security based on the Taiwan Relations Act and the “six assurances.”
The announcement by US President Joe Biden’s administration of its 13th foreign arms sales to Taiwan demonstrates the importance Washington attaches to Taiwan’s defense needs and the rock-solid partnership between the two nations, she said.
At the forefront of the democratic alliance’s defense, Taiwan will continue to demonstrate its determination to defend itself, strengthen its defense autonomy and safeguard democracy and freedom, she said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said that the Biden administration’s continuation of its policy of normalizing arms sales to Taiwan would help bolster the nation’s defense and deterrence capabilities.
Taiwan will continue to deepen its close security partnership with the US to jointly defend the rules-based international order, and maintain peace, stability and prosperity across the Taiwan Strait and in the Indo-Pacific region, it added.
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday said that Taipei had asked Washington to help upgrade the data link systems for Taiwan’s C4ISR (command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) architecture.
The proposed sale would improve joint combat effectiveness and establish military interoperability, it said.
Institute for National Defense and Security Research analyst Shu Hsiao-huang (舒孝煌) said that the US would conduct a complete assessment of Taiwan’s military through the proposed sale
The armed forces have many domestically made weapons systems, which have to be interoperable with US-made weapons to achieve maximum effect, he said.
The announcement came before a US delegation led by US Representative Mike Gallagher, chair of the US House of Representatives Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the US and the Chinese Communist Party, arrived in Taiwan.
Gallagher told reporters yesterday that ensuring the delivery of foreign military sales to Taiwan is the most important thing the US can do “to deter China and reduce its aggression.”
Calling for continued lethal assistance to Ukraine and applying the lessons learned in the European country to the Indo-Pacific region, he said the US should revitalize its defense industrial base to be able to “surge production of and stockpile critical munitions” in the region.
Finding creative solutions to the backlog of arms deliveries to Taiwan is “absolutely doable going forward,” he said.
The committee is also deliberating the feasibility of weapons coproduction in Taiwan, which would be “a potentially great partner” for producing 155mm artillery, delegation member and US Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi said.
Additional reporting by Wu Su-wei
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