A new version of the US’ National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) released yesterday is to authorize up to US$1 billion in military aid to Taiwan next year, launch an uncrewed systems development program with Taiwan and increase US-Taiwan joint coast guard training.
The reconciled bill also removed an invitation for Taiwan to participate in the Rim of the Pacific Exercise from its more than 3,000 pages of content.
The NDAA is an annual piece of legislation that stipulates spending by the US Department of Defense.
Photo: AFP
The US House of Representative and Senate must agree on a version of the bill and pass it, then it must be signed by the US president before it goes into effect.
US House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson last night released a new, compromised version of the bill.
The compromise version was produced after the US Senate and House reconciled their separate versions into a unified bill.
The new version authorizes the US Department of Defense to use up to US$1 billion next fiscal year to advance the Taiwan security cooperation initiative and expand Taiwan’s capabilities in medical equipment, supplies and combat casualty care.
It also specifies that the secretary of defense must launch a joint program with Taiwan to develop uncrewed systems and counter-uncrewed systems for both sides’ military forces before March 1 next year.
It further stipulates that the secretary must report progress to US Congress annually until 2029, covering procurements, secure supply agreements and military information security agreements.
It authorizes a joint US-Taiwan coast guard operations and leadership training program from next year to 2030, including funding to send US coast guard training teams to Taiwan to strengthen its maritime security, law enforcement and deterrence capabilities.
The secretary of defense must report a multi-year plan to fulfill the defense requirements of Taiwan’s military forces, known as the Taiwan Security Assistance Roadmap, and on the feasibility of establishing a regional contingency stockpile for Taiwan, otherwise the department can only use up to 75 percent of its funds, the bill says.
Within one year of the bill’s promulgation, the secretary must cooperate with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command to assess the armed forces’ capacity to respond to a high-intensity contingency in the Indo-Pacific region, it says.
The assessment must consider the ability to rapidly mobilize, deploy and sustain forces to respond to a conflict in the Indo-Pacific, as well as joint and allied interoperability, with particular attention paid to coordination between Taiwan, Japan, Australia and the Philippines, it adds.
The bill also includes the Taiwan Non-Discrimination Act, which supports Taiwan’s inclusion in the IMF.
While the NDAA grants the US executive branch the authority to determine how money would be used, the actual amounts depend on appropriations legislation agreed upon by the US Congress.
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