Taiwanese officials have contacted the incoming US administration about procuring up to US$15 billion in military hardware, including the Aegis destroyer, the Financial Times reported yesterday.
The paper quoted several sources likely to be in the administration of US president-elect Donald Trump regarding Taiwan’s intentions to demonstrate that the nation is “serious” about its defense.
A former Trump administration official was quoted as saying that when the US national security advisor is formally announced, Taiwan is to “present a very aggressive package of American hardware.”
Photo courtesy of Ministry of National Defense via CNA
The piece quotes a high-ranking Taiwanese official confirming there have been informal discussions with the Trump team on the kind of arms deal that would signal Taiwan’s commitment to its own defense.
“There are quite a few big platforms and other items that our armed forces have had their eyes on for a long time, but have not been able to acquire, so there’s a lot to choose from,” the paper quoted the official as saying.
This would include the Aegis destroyer, another official said, although other officials and experts said that some more expensive and necessary items would “leave a bigger impression.”
“If you are talking about a wish list, this is the time to ask for F-35s,” Institute for National Defense and Security Research fellow Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲) was quoted as saying.
Taiwan may also wish to request retired ships like the Ticonderoga-class cruisers and Perry-class frigates, he added.
This current package could be worth US$15 billion, Su said, citing reporting that Taiwan might request 60 F-35s, four Advanced Hawkeyes, 10 retired vessels and 400 Patriot missiles.
Elbridge Colby, who served as US deputy assistant secretary of defense for strategy and force development during the first Trump administration and may be named to a senior position in the new administration, has repeatedly urged Taiwan to spend more on its military.
“Those who care about Taiwan should be super clear they need to dramatically step up. Their fate hangs in the balance,” Colby said recently on X.
The piece also quotes Trump’s former deputy assistant secretary of defense for East Asia, Heino Klinck, who said that while the F-35 suggestion is not necessary, Taiwan’s approach is the right one.
Klinck added that critical capabilities such as air and missile defense systems, and enacting defense reforms, should outweigh F-35s, which “would not make much sense operationally or fiscally.”
The anonymous Taiwanese officials expressed confidence that concerns regarding Trump and Taiwan are exaggerated, as support for the nation has bipartisan consensus.
In his first term, Trump approved 11 packages to Taiwan worth US$21 billion, including F-16 jets and tanks, with the administration under US President Joe Biden also approving US$7 billion in deals.
The Financial Times quoted US-Taiwan Business Council president Rupert Hammond-Chambers as saying that a large arms deal “could look like a down payment that would attempt to get off on the right foot with the new administration.”
Presidential Office spokesperson Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) has not confirmed or denied the talks, while the Trump team has also not responded to related questions.
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