Defense officials should address flaws in the military observed by US officials, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) said yesterday, after the Financial Times reported that a “low-key” delegation visited Taipei last month to assess the nation’s forces and the potential for closer cooperation.
The visiting US advisers found the Taiwanese military proficient at a tactical level, but lacking the ability to think strategically, the report said.
However, they assessed efforts to be on the right track.
Photo courtesy of the 8th Field Army
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) “has made the difficult and big move to tell the public things need to change and an all-of-society effort is needed to defend their homeland,” the Financial Times quoted a US official as saying. “There will be more progress from here.”
The report suggests that US-Taiwan joint military training and exchange programs are becoming more “open and normalized” with improving bilateral ties, Wang said.
Although Taiwan’s long-term national defense strategy emphasizing deep strikes and multilayered deterrence was adequate, the US delegates observed shortfalls in some capabilities, he said.
Citing an example, he said the armed forces were assessed as utilizing an obsolete model of command and control that needs to be flatter and more distributed, he added.
The armed forces should think about a strategy for maintaining the nation’s military edge, as China’s People’s Liberation Army has revamped its amphibious and airborne assault capabilities, Wang said.
An effective response would require new strategic concepts and military cooperation programs, he said, adding that the Ministry of National Defense and other national security agencies should take heed of the delegation’s assessment.
Meanwhile, a source familiar with the matter said that the defense ministry is mulling sending a military delegation to observe the US National Guard for reference in managing and instilling combat effectiveness in Taiwan’s reserve force.
Since Taiwan and the US inked a coast guard memorandum of understanding, bilateral cooperation in military and paramilitary affairs has surged to encompass training, tactics and combat skills, they said, describing the relationship as “present and ongoing.”
Taiwan sends many service members for training in the US, including F-16 pilots and regular army personnel, while special forces and marines are also involved, they said.
The All-Out Defense Mobilization Agency’s decision to appoint a colonel-rank liaison officer to head Taiwan reserve force-US national guard cooperation shows the program has become normalized, said Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the Institute of National Defense and Security Research.
Taiwan’s reserve force could benefit from collaborating with the US national guard and learning from the latter’s training, institution and culture, he said, adding that the two forces have similar responsibilities of territorial defense and disaster response.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS