Military cooperation between Taiwan and the US “appears to be expanding,” a report released on July 25 by the US Congressional Research Service said.
In “Taiwan: Defense and Military Issues,” the agency described arms sales as “the most concrete US contribution to Taiwan’s defense capabilities,” adding that the majority are conducted through the US government’s Foreign Military Sales program.
Between 2015 and this year, the White House notified the US Congress of more than US$28 billion in weapons sales to Taiwan, the report said.
Photo: CNA
Moreover, the 117th US Congress, which sat from January 2021 to January 2023, authorized new pathways for arms transfers under the Taiwan Enhanced Resilience Act, it said.
The act made presidential drawdown authority available for Taiwan for the first time, allowing the US Department of Defense to supply equipment and services directly from its inventory.
Since the law’s enactment, the executive branch has announced three packages using the presidential drawdown authority for Taiwan totaling US$1.5 billion, the report said.
Beyond weapons transfers, Taiwan-US security cooperation also includes training conducted in Taiwan and the US, it said.
Although such cooperation is generally not widely publicized, it “appears to be expanding,” it said, citing Taiwan’s participation in the US’ International Military Education and Training program since 2023.
From 2019 to 2023, Taiwan’s defense budget grew at an average annual rate of nearly 5 percent, the report said.
Despite the increases, Taiwan faces challenges in achieving its defense goals, including disagreements among policymakers over how best to deter military threats from China, it said.
It also pointed to difficulties Taiwan faces in military recruitment, training and retention, as well as concerns that civil defense efforts are insufficient.
“At a societal level, it is not clear what costs — in terms of economic security, physical safety and lives — Taiwan’s people would be willing or able to bear in the face of a cross-strait war,” it said.
The report also said that “Taiwan’s energy, food, water, communications and other infrastructure” are vulnerable to external disruption.
Supervised by the Library of Congress, the Congressional Research Service aims to provide US lawmakers with nonpartisan research and policy analysis.
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