A deal to purchase an upgraded naval vessel communications system worth NT$2.15 billion (US$68.18 million) has been finalized with the US government, a high-ranking Taiwanese military officer said yesterday.
The officer, who declined to be named, said the deal secured the purchase of upgraded Link-16 and Link-11 systems, which would connect the Republic of China (ROC) Navy directly to the command center for the US’ Pacific fleet.
The system will give the ROC Navy the ability to share coordinates and other information with the US Seventh Fleet during combat operations, the officer said, adding that the move ties the two navies closer together.
Image in the public domain provided by Wikimedia Commons
The systems are already in use by NATO members and the US’ other allies in the Pacific, the officer said, adding that information can be shared among all allies during combat operations should the need arise.
The US can direct all of its allies in the field to coordinate operations, the officer said.
The officer said some of the ROC Navy’s ships would use the Link-16 system, which will connect those ships to other vessels, land-based radar systems and other military installations.
Kidd-class destroyers, Cheng Kung-class frigates, Lafayette-class frigates and Knox-class frigates would all use the Link-16 system, the officer said, adding that missile-equipped patrol ships and support vessels would use the Link-11 system, which only connects with other vessels.
The officer said the deal was rushed through with coordination between the American Institute in Taiwan and military representatives stationed in the US, adding that shipment and installation of the systems are expected to be completed by June 2021.
The officer said that while the systems’ main components are to be acquired from the US, communications and photoelectric components would be produced by domestic manufacturers.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lo Chih-cheng (羅致政) said that control over information is at the heart of armed conflict.
An effective means to transmit information is fundamental to military strategy, Lo said, adding that the procurement of the Link-16 and Link-11 systems would greatly benefit the nation’s military.
DPP Legislator Wang Ding-yu (王定宇) said the process of military cooperation with allies in the region began late last year when Taiwan, Japan and the US communicated military aircraft identifier signal information with each other, adding that Japan included contingencies for a possible conflict in the Taiwan Strait among recent training activities.
Outcomes in modern military conflicts are decided within seconds, Wang said, adding that the systems would dramatically improve the military’s reaction time and allow for rapid coordination of movements.
Additional reporting by Aaron Tu
CIVIL DEFENSE: More reservists in alternative service would help establish a sound civil defense system for use in wartime and during natural disasters, Kuma Academy’s CEO said While a total of 120,000 reservists are expected to be called up for alternative reserve drills this year, compared with the 6,505 drilled last year, the number has been revised to 58,000 due to a postponed training date, Deputy Minster of the Interior Ma Shih-yuan (馬士元) said. In principle, the ministry still aims to call up 120,000 reservists for alternative reserve drills next year, he said, but the actual number would not be decided later until after this year’s evaluation. The increase follows a Legislative Yuan request that the Ministry of the Interior address low recruitment rates, which it made while reviewing
As eight basketball-playing international students appealed to the Taiwanese basketball industry after they were excluded from the draft of an upcoming new league merging the P.League+ and the T1 League, the new league’s preparatory committee spokesperson Chang Shu-jen (張樹人) yesterday said the committee would tomorrow discuss the supplementary measures and whether the international students can join the draft. The students on Tuesday called for support on their right to play in the upcoming new league, after a merger involving the two leagues impacted their eligibility for the draft. The international players from the University Basketball Association (UBA), led by first pick prospect
WARNING: China has stepped up harassment of foreign vessels after its new regulation took effect last month, an official said, citing an incident in the Diaoyutai Islands The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday linked China’s seizure of a Taiwanese fishing vessel illegally operating in its territorial waters to Beijing’s new regulation authorizing the China Coast Guard to seize boats in waters it claims. Chinese officials boarded and then seized a Taiwanese fishing vessel operating near China’s coast close to Kinmen County late on Tuesday and took it to a Chinese port, the CGA said. The Penghu-registered squid fishing vessel Da Jin Man No. 88 (大進滿88) was boarded and seized by China Coast Guard east-northeast of Liaoluo Bay (料羅灣), 17.5 nautical miles (32.4km) from Taiwan’s restricted waters off Kinmen,
Some foreign companies are considering moving Taiwanese employees out of China after Beijing said it could impose the death penalty on “die-hard” Taiwanese independence advocates, four people familiar with the matter said. The new guidelines have caused some Taiwanese expatriates and foreign multinationals operating in China to scramble to assess their legal risks and exposure, said the people, who include a lawyer and two executives with direct knowledge of the discussions. “Several companies have come to us to assess the risks to their personnel,” said the lawyer, James Zimmerman, a Beijing-based partner at the Perkins Coie law firm. He declined to identify