The US Senate on Thursday last week passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026, which strongly encourages the US secretary of defense to invite Taiwan’s naval forces to participate in the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise, as well as allocating military aid of US$1 billion for Taiwan.
The bill, which authorizes appropriations for the military activities of the US Department of Defense, military construction and other purposes, passed with 77 votes in support and 20 against.
While the NDAA authorizes about US$925 billion of defense spending, the Central News Agency yesterday reported that an aide of US Senator Jacky Rosen told it that the bill includes US$1 billion military aid for Taiwan under the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative.
Photo: AFP
The act also strongly encourages the US secretary of defense to invite the naval forces of Taiwan to participate, as appropriate, in any RIMPAC exercise, and that if the defense secretary decides not to invite Taiwan’s naval forces, they should submit to the congressional defense committees a written justification for such a decision no later than 30 days after the decision is made.
RIMPAC is the world’s largest multinational maritime exercise, conducted biennially in Hawaii, hosted by the US and bringing together nearly 30 partner nations to strengthen collective forces, and promote a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
The bill includes a provision instructing the US secretary of defense, in coordination with the US secretary of state, to seek to engage with Taiwanese officials in a joint program for the purpose of enabling the fielding of uncrewed systems and counteruncrewed systems capabilities.
Another provision calls for analysis on the critical digital infrastructure of Taiwan, in the event of a military invasion or blockade by China, and for identifying potential actions by the Pentagon to protect such infrastructure.
The bill also authorizes the US secretary of defense to assign a Defense Priorities and Allocations System order rating, prioritizing the order of foreign military sales, including to Taiwan, Israel, Japan, South Korea and the Philippines, as well as NATO members, major defense partners and other eligible purchasers.
The bill calls for establishing a partnership between the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit and its counterpart in Taiwan to enhancing market opportunities for defense technology companies based in the US or Taiwan, bolster Taiwan’s defense industrial base, and counter the Chinese Communist Party and its proxy groups’ dual-use defense technology development.
It also sets a limit on the travel expenses to be used by the office of the US secretary of defense until it submits a “Taiwan Security Assistance Road Map” — a multiyear plan to fulfill the defensive requirements of Taiwan’s military forces, and submits a report on the Pentagon’s activities necessary for supporting the potential establishment of a regional contingency stockpile for Taiwan.
Meanwhile, in a statement issued on Thursday last week, US Senator Dave McCormick said that the NDAA includes the Taiwan Non-Discrimination Act, which requires the US governor of the IMF to use the US vote to support the admission of Taiwan as a member of the IMF.
The US House of Representatives last month approved its own version of the NDAA, and the House and Senate Armed Services Committees are to negotiate a compromise bill before sending it to US President Donald Trump to sign or veto.
Additional reporting by CNA
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