Taiwan should maintain its existing conventional forces to combat low-intensity conflicts while acquiring more asymmetric warfare capabilities to counter potential aggression from China, said a report by military analyst Eric Gomez published by the Cato Institute on Friday last week.
The report compared military items sold to Taiwan during US president-elect Donald Trump’s first term in office and US President Joe Biden’s current term.
Trump sold more traditional weapons while Biden emphasized improving asymmetric warfare capabilities, the report said.
Photo courtesy of Ministry of National Defense via CNA
The first Trump administration sold Taiwan US$10.4 billion (NT$319.9 million) in traditional weapons, while the Biden administration has only sold US$500 million worth of traditional weapons, the report said.
“Traditional weapons are more flexible, but they tend to have much higher unit and lifetime costs and take longer to build than asymmetric capabilities,” the report said.
As of last month, only one of four military sales packages made by the Trump administration has been delivered to Taiwan, it said.
Initial deliveries of M1 Abrams tanks and F-16 jets should begin in the next few months and be completed within two years, it added.
The Biden administration focused more on asymmetric capabilities, with nine sales packages worth a total of US$4.36 billion, and maintenance, with 14 sales packages worth a total of US$2.81 billion, the report said.
Acquiring more asymmetric capabilities while maintaining existing traditional capabilities is a “sensible strategy,” he said.
“While the first Trump administration sold Taiwan more weapons, the Biden administration sold Taiwan a better mix of weapons for Taiwan’s self-defense needs,” Gomez said.
A recent report by the Financial Times said that Taiwan might put forward a large arms sales wish list worth US$15 billion for surface warships, F-35 fighter jets, E-2D early warning aircraft and Patriot interceptors, he said.
Except for the Patriot interceptors, “this would be a terrible choice for Taiwan,” Gomez said.
Not only would these traditional systems consume most of Taiwan’s limited defense budget, but “they would be relatively easy for China to counter and take a long time to be built and delivered,” he said.
Taiwan has correctly started focusing more on the development of much-needed asymmetric warfare capabilities in the last few years, he said.
While large-scale arms sales might seem appealing, it is more rational for the shared interests of both nations for Taiwan to buy cheaper, but more militarily effective asymmetric capabilities, he added.
TRAFFIC SAFETY RULES: A positive result in a drug test would result in a two-year license suspension for the driver and vehicle, and a fine of up to NT$180,000 The Ministry of Transportation and Communications is to authorize police to conduct roadside saliva tests by the end of the year to deter people from driving while under the influence of narcotics, it said yesterday. The ministry last month unveiled a draft of amended regulations governing traffic safety rules and penalties, which included provisions empowering police to conduct mandatory saliva tests on drivers. While currently rules authorize police to use oral fluid testing kits for signs of drug use, they do not establish penalties for noncompliance or operating procedures for officers to follow, the ministry said. The proposed changes to the regulations require
The Executive Yuan yesterday announced that registration for a one-time universal NT$10,000 cash handout to help people in Taiwan survive US tariffs and inflation would start on Nov. 5, with payouts available as early as Nov. 12. Who is eligible for the handout? Registered Taiwanese nationals are eligible, including those born in Taiwan before April 30 next year with a birth certificate. Non-registered nationals with residence permits, foreign permanent residents and foreign spouses of Taiwanese citizens with residence permits also qualify for the handouts. For people who meet the eligibility requirements, but passed away between yesterday and April 30 next year, surviving family members
China Airlines Ltd (CAL) yesterday morning joined SkyTeam’s Aviation Challenge for the fourth time, operating a demonstration flight for “net zero carbon emissions” from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to Bangkok. The flight used sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at a ratio of up to 40 percent, the highest proportion CAL has achieved to date, the nation’s largest carrier said. Since April, SAF has become available to Taiwanese international carriers at Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport), Kaohsiung International Airport and Taoyuan airport. In previous challenges, CAL operated “net zero carbon emission flights” to Singapore and Japan. At a ceremony at Taoyuan airport, China Airlines chief sustainability
‘ONE CHINA’: A statement that Berlin decides its own China policy did not seem to sit well with Beijing, which offered only one meeting with the German official German Minister for Foreign Affairs Johann Wadephul’s trip to China has been canceled, a spokesperson for his ministry said yesterday, amid rising tensions between the two nations, including over Taiwan. Wadephul had planned to address Chinese curbs on rare earths during his visit, but his comments about Berlin deciding on the “design” of its “one China” policy ahead of the trip appear to have rankled China. Asked about Wadephul’s comments, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Guo Jiakun (郭嘉昆) said the “one China principle” has “no room for any self-definition.” In the interview published on Thursday, Wadephul said he would urge China to
RSS