The US’ US$345 million military aid package for Taiwan announced late last month would include four MQ-9A reconnaissance drones, a military source said yesterday.
Washington is still working on removing some of the more advanced and sensitive components of the drones, so there is no set delivery date, the source said on condition of anonymity.
The US$345 million aid package also includes training programs and ammunitions for Taiwan’s military, the source added.
Photo: Reuters
Asked about the source’s comment, the Ministry of National Defense said that it could not provide further details of the aid package to honor the US-Taiwan agreement.
Lin Ying-yu (林穎佑), an assistant professor at Tamkang University’s Institute of Strategic Studies, had earlier said that the drones would significantly boost Taiwan’s overall intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities, as they can swiftly pass receive intelligence to logistics units via a satellite link.
Taiwan also purchased four MQ-9B “Sea Guardian” drones from former US president Donald Trump’s administration for US$217 million, with delivery expected in 2025.
The US announced the US$345 million military aid package for Taiwan on July 28, which is to be delivered under a Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) approved last year by the US Congress and permits up to US$1 billion of weapons aid to be sent to Taiwan in fiscal 2023.
The PDA enables the US president to direct a drawdown to provide military assistance to US allies in crisis situations.
It allows for the speedy delivery of defense articles and services from the Pentagon’s existing stock to foreign countries and international organizations to respond to “unforeseen emergencies,” the US Department of State said.
However, since last year, Taiwan has been highlighting delays in the delivery of weapons it has purchased from the US.
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
HEAVY WEATHER: Typhoon Jangmi is due to crash straight into the Ryukyus as airlines look to shift flights to larger aircraft or cancel flights to Okinawa entirely Taiwan’s international air carriers announced flight adjustments over the weekend as Typhoon Jangmi is forecast to hit the Ryukyu Islands today and tomorrow. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) upgraded Jangmi from a tropical storm to a typhoon at 8am yesterday, with the eye located 580km south of Naha city. It was moving north at 19kph. Today, China Airlines’ CI-120, CI-121, CI-122 and CI-123 flights between Taoyuan and Naha, Okinawa, have been canceled as well as CI-132 and CI-133 between Kaohsiung and Naha. EVA Air’s BR-112, BR-113, BR-186 and BR-185 flights between Taoyuan and Naha are also canceled. Low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan canceled IT-230,
REASONS FOR TRAVEL: An assistant professor said that proposed amendments to penalize drivers if they used drugs overseas would not deter people from traveling People who operate a motor vehicle under the influence of marijuana would have their driver’s license revoked, even if they used the substance while overseas, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday, citing proposed amendments to the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例). The amendments would also authorize the government to revoke the licenses of people determined to have used Category 1 or Category 2 narcotics, even if they were not operating a vehicle while under the influence of drugs, as well as ban them from taking the license test for three years, the ministry said. People aged 18 or
RSS