The US has "quite a high" sense of urgency in helping Taiwan strengthen its military capabilities and is working to help speed up delayed weapons deliveries, Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said today.
Taiwan has complained of repeated delays to weapons ordered from the US.
One of the main delays is to a 2019 order for 66 Lockheed Martin F-16V jets, equipped with more advanced avionics, weapons and radar systems to better face down the Chinese air force, including its stealthy J-20 fighters.
Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei Times
Deliveries of many of the weapons systems ordered have already begun or arrived, Koo told reporters at the legislature.
"As for the portions that have experienced delays, the US has already set up a special project team to accelerate the relevant weapons programs and help us catch up to schedule as quickly as possible," he said.
"I have also repeatedly explained that the US sense of urgency in helping us strengthen our self-defense capabilities as quickly as possible is in fact quite high," he added.
Deliveries of F-16V jets for Taiwan are to begin this year with production at "full capacity," the Ministry of National Defense said over the weekend.
Last week, US Defense Security Cooperation Agency Director Michael Miller said he signed a directive in 2023 to prioritize Taiwan above other buyers, adding that security cooperation and assistance for Taiwan was a top priority.
The US is bound by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself.
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