The US Congress has released a new draft of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which includes up to US$1 billion in funding for Taiwan-related security cooperation next year.
The version published on Sunday by US House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson removed earlier language that would have invited Taiwan to participate in the US-led Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC).
A statement on Johnson’s Web page said the NDAA “enhances U.S. defense initiatives in the Indo-Pacific to bolster Taiwan’s defense and support Indo-Pacific allies.”
Photo: Reuters
The bill would require the US secretary of defense to “enable fielding of uncrewed and anti-uncrewed systems capabilities” with Taiwan by March 1 next year.
The systems must comply with the Taiwan Relations Act, and be usable by Taiwanese and US forces, it said.
Up to US$1 billion of the fiscal budget for next year could be allocated to support security cooperation initiatives with Taiwan, and to expand its medical equipment, supply capacity and combat casualty-care capabilities, the draft said.
The new version was produced after the US Senate and the US House of Representatives combined their versions into a unified bill.
The draft requires annual reports to the US Congress through 2029 on reciprocal procurement memoranda, and authorizes planning for joint maritime operations and leadership training between the US Coast Guard and Taiwan’s Coast Guard Administration.
Projected 2026 to 2030 costs include deployments of US Coast Guard operational training teams to Taiwan to improve maritime security, law-enforcement capacity and deterrence.
The US secretary of defense’s office would be required to submit a Taiwan security assistance road map, and a study assessing Washington’s rapid mobilization, deployment and sustainment abilities in responding to potential conflicts in the Taiwan Strait, the South China Sea and other Indo-Pacific hotspots, the bill said.
It would also evaluate joint and allied operational capacity, with particular focus on coordination with Taiwan, Japan, Australia and the Philippines, it added.
Final funding levels would depend on future appropriations legislation.
“This legislation includes important House-passed provisions to ensure our military forces remain the most lethal in the world and can deter any adversary,” Johnson said. “[US] President [Donald] Trump has made clear the past few decades of investments propping up communist China’s aggression must come to an end, and this bill includes important guardrails to protect America’s long-term investments, economic interests and sensitive data.”
NETWORK-MAPPING PROJECT: The database contains 170 detailed files of Taiwanese politicians and about 23 million records of household registration data in Taiwan China has developed a network-mapping project targeting political figures and parties in Taiwan to monitor public opinion during elections and to craft tailored influence campaigns aimed at dividing Taiwanese society, according to documents leaked by Chinese technology firm GoLaxy (中科天璣). The documents, collected by Taipei-based Doublethink Lab, showed a database was specifically created to gather detailed information on Taiwanese political figures, including their political affiliations, job histories, birthplaces, residences, education, religion and a brief biography about them. Several notable Taiwanese politicians are in the database, including President William Lai (賴清德), former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍),
RECOGNITION: Former Fijian prime minister Mahendra Chaudhry said that Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy serves as a stabilizing force in the Indo-Pacific region Taiwan can lead the unification of the Chinese people, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former Polish president Lech Walesa said in Taipei yesterday, adding that as the world order is changing, peaceful discussion would find good solutions, and that the use of force and coercion would always fail. Walesa made the remarks during his keynote address at a luncheon of the Yushan Forum in Taipei, titled “Indo-Pacific Partnership Prospects: Taiwan’s Values, Technology and Resilience,” organized by the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Walesa said that he had been at the forefront of a big peaceful revolution and “if
UPGRADED MISSILE: The Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology is reportedly to conduct a live-fire test of the Hsiung Feng III anti-ship missile on Thursday next week The US Army is planning to build new facilities to boost explosives production and strengthen its supply chain, a move aimed at addressing munitions shortages and supporting obligations to partners including Taiwan, Ukraine and Israel, Defense News reported. The army has issued a sources sought notice for a proposed Center of Excellence at the Blue Grass Army Depot in Kentucky, the report said. The facility would serve as a hub within the US industrial base for the production of key military explosives, including research department explosives (RDX) and high melting explosives (HMX), while also supporting research and development of next-generation materials. The proposed
SOUTH KOREA DISPUTE: If Seoul continues to ignore its request, Taiwan would change South Korea’s designation on its arrival cards, the foreign ministry said If South Korea does not reply appropriately to a request to correct Taiwan’s name on its e-Arrival card system before March 31, the government would take corresponding measures to change how South Korea is labeled on the online Taiwan Arrival Card system, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday. South Korea’s e-Arrival card system lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan)” in the “point of departure” and “next destination” fields. Taipei has asked Seoul to change the wording. Since March 1, South Koreans who hold government-issued Alien Resident Certificates (ARC) have been identified as from “South Korea” rather than the “Republic of Korea,” the
RSS