Taiwan, Japan, South Korea and the Philippines should not rely solely on US war reserve stocks and must instead increase their own missile inventories, Institute for National Policy Research vice president Kuo Yu-jen (郭育仁) said today.
Since the conflict broke out on Feb. 28, the US has expended precision-guided munitions worth US$17 billion in just two weeks — a figure exceeding half of Taiwan’s annual defense budget, Kuo told a seminar titled "The Global Impact of the US-Israel-Iran Conflict and Taiwan’s Security.”
Less than two months into the conflict, the US has already consumed the equivalent of six years of its missile stockpiles, requiring significant resources to maintain air and naval superiority, he said.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
Washington is unlikely to launch a ground war, as doing so would signal a strategic shift of focus to the Middle East, he said, adding that it would be detrimental to Taiwan, Japan and the Philippines.
Regarding the strategic intent behind the military operations, he said that US President Donald Trump’s decision to strike Iran was aimed not only at Tehran, but also at Beijing.
More than 80 percent of Iran’s oil exports go to China, he said, adding that combined with Venezuela, the two countries account for nearly 30 percent of China’s imports of low-cost oil.
US strikes have a significant impact on China’s cheap energy based economic models, he said.
He also noted that party caucuses yesterday again failed to reach a consensus on the NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.59 billion) special defense budget, which includes arms purchases from the US, scheduling another round of talks for Monday next week.
The US has redeployed 2,500 personnel from the third Marine Expeditionary Force to the Middle East — the only rapid-response unit stationed in East Asia, Kuo said.
Citing former US Department of Defense official Tony Hu (胡振東), he said it would take US defense contractors six years to replenish the current precision munition expenditures.
The depletion of US missile stockpiles affects not only Taiwan, but also Japan, South Korea and the Philippines, meaning these countries cannot rely solely on US reserves and must build up their own missile stockpiles, he said.
Under the US National Defense Authorization Act for this fiscal year, Washington has already planned for Taiwan to undertake contract manufacturing of a substantial portion of US precision-guided munitions, he added.
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