US defense company Northrop Grumman has installed a medium caliber ammunition test range in Taiwan, enabling the Ministry of National Defense to test ammunition to global industry standards, American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Raymond Greene said today.
Greene gave a speech at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research’s “Strengthening Resilience: Defense as the Engine of Development” seminar, titled “Investing Together and a Secure and Prosperous Future.”
The new project would enable advancement of indigenous development projects through the transfer of technology, proprietary procedures and expert training, he said.
Photo: Tien Yu-hua, Taipei Times
Meanwhile, Anduril Industries has implemented a strategic supply chain initiative in Taiwan to find multi-source suppliers for key components, he said.
That would enhance global supply chain resilience across products such as the Ghost-X UAS, which is sold to the US and international partners, he said.
Shield AI has also invested heavily in Taiwan’s supply chain, buying and utilizing tens of millions of Taiwanese components and products, and has formally teamed up with Aerospace Industrial Development Corp, Taiwan’s largest prime contractor, he added.
Greene highlighted the US President Donald Trump administration’s contributions to Taiwan’s defense efforts, including the establishment of supply chains for drones and autonomous systems, offers of security assistance and the expansion of domestic defense industrial bases.
“We will steadfastly stand by our allies and partners to protect their freedom and promote their security,” he said, “However, freedom is not free. America can only help our friends as much as they help themselves.”
Although Trump’s National Security Strategy assures the US “is committed to maintaining the military capacity to deny aggression anywhere in the first island chain,” the US “should not bear this burden alone,” Greene said.
In the field of artificial intelligence (AI), the US is the world leader in research and development, innovation and applications, while Taiwan provides the manufacturing and hardware backbone, he said.
Combining the two complementary capabilities would develop edge computing and embodied AI applications for drones, command and control, air defense and other platforms that can further revolutionize deterrence, he said.
Greene also noted Taiwan’s most recent contributions to its own defense, including President William Lai’s (賴清德) NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.5 billion) special defense budget and his pledge to increase defense spending to 5 percent of GDP by 2030.
He referenced last summer’s Han Kuang drills, an extension in compulsory military service from four months to 12 months and the implementation of Lai’s whole-of-society resilience strategy.
Greene also spoke of the commitment of Taiwanese to preserving peace and preparing for conflict, showcased in last year’s urban resilience drills and by the tens of thousands of volunteers who helped communities in Hualien affected by floods last year.
Moreover, polls show that more of the Taiwanese public says they are willing to defend their homeland today than Ukrainians did when asked before February 2022, Greene said.
“Working together, I am confident [Taiwan-US] collaboration will benefit the people of the United States, Taiwan and the rest of the world,” he said.
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