The Ministry of National Defense (MND) yesterday seemed surprised by a Democratic Progressive Party lawmaker's suggestion that the military could support the US in mine-clearing operations in the Strait of Hormuz.
US President Donald Trump had expressed dissatisfaction with allies for not dispatching forces to assist with mine-clearing operations in the Strait of Hormuz, Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) told a hearing of the Legislative Yuan’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee.
With that in mind, Wang asked gathered officials whether the military should express its willingness to support such efforts.
Photo: CNA
"The idea is quite creative, but we have not thought about it," Deputy Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) said in response.
National Security Bureau Director-General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥) said the issue was "hypothetical."
"Taiwan's situation differs from that of other US allies," Tsai said.
Any troop deployment would require an assessment of threats facing Taiwan, making the conditions more complex, he said.
The key concerns would be logistics, supply and operational support, Hsu said, adding that the navy's minehunter vessels are relatively small and might not be able to reach the Strait of Hormuz to begin with.
Because Taiwan faces constant harassment from Chinese naval vessels, its navy has major responsibilities in Taiwan's own waters, meaning that any deployment of already limited mine countermeasure capabilities abroad would have to be carefully evaluated, Hsu said.
Wang also asked whether the navy's mine-clearing capacity is sufficient for its own needs.
Navy Chief of Staff Chu Hui-min (朱惠民) said only that "we are continuing to work on it."
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