Hosting foreign military advisers is within the scope of regular exchanges, Minister of National Defense Chiu Kuo-cheng (邱國正) said yesterday after a US defense media outlet said that US Army Special Forces are to be deployed for training missions in Kinmen and Penghu counties.
Speaking on the sidelines of a legislative session, Chiu told reporters that the armed forces conduct exchanges with foreign militaries to find “blindspots and flaws” in Taiwan’s defense preparations and design, and “to learn from the strengths of others.”
As for the report’s claim that Taiwan’s Aviation and Special Forces Command has proposed buying the Black Hornet Nano, a micro drone that the US military uses, Chiu said there were “no specific talks on procuring arms” in connection with the presence of the US military advisers.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
SOFREP, an online outlet founded by US special operations veterans, on Friday last week said that Washington has launched a “significant military collaboration” with Taiwan involving the deployment of special forces in Kimen and Penghu.
Citing the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act, SOFREP said that a growing presence of a liaison element is currently in Taiwan to plan for deploying small detachments of the 1st Special Forces Group’s 2nd Battalion.
The detachments, consisting of three soldiers each, are to become permanent training observers of Taiwan’s elite Airborne Special Service Company and the 101st Amphibious Reconnaissance Battalion, the report said.
The US advisers would be involved in regular training exercises, creating joint operational guidelines and training manuals, and providing instructions for operating the Black Hornet Nano, which Taiwan plans to buy from the US via direct military sale, it said.
The US’ plans mark a departure from the previous practice of dispatching frequent, but impermanent training and observation missions to Taiwan, it said.
Asked to comment at a routine news conference, Ministry of Foreign Affairs North American Affairs Department Director-General Wang Liang-yu (王良玉) said that the “six assurances” and the Taiwan Relations Act form the basis of US security guarantees to the nation, which remain strong.
The ministry has no additional comment on the content of the report, she added.
Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a fellow at the Institute of National Defense and Security Research, was cited as saying that the US Army Special Forces are known for their defensive prowess.
The integration of the US special forces into Taiwan’s special reconnaissance and amphibious operations units would augment the nation’s capability to counter incursions by hostile forces, the report cited him as saying.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS