A US congressional committee on Thursday questioned the US Navy over what it called “alarming delays” in weapons deliveries to Taiwan, asking why production sometimes languished for months or years after purchasing deals were signed.
Time was running out to deter military action by China toward Taiwan, US Representative Mike Gallagher, chair of the House of Representatives’ Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, and US Representative Young Kim, chair of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Indo Pacific, said in the letter to US Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro.
With more than 340 warships, China possesses the largest naval fleet in the world, and deterring a Chinese invasion of Taiwan “will require turning the island into a porcupine, stockpiled with an arsenal of weapons that can target the Chinese fleet and prevent the PLA [People’s Liberation Army] from establishing a lodgment in Taiwan,” the letter said.
Photo: Reuters
“At this hour of danger, however, when the United States should be arming Taiwan to the maximum to strengthen its defenses and deter Chinese aggression, bureaucratic delays within the Navy are impeding the timely production and delivery of key weapons to Taiwan,” the letter said.
The lawmakers highlighted the need for anti-ship Harpoon and Standoff Land Attack Missile-Expanded Response (SLAM-ER) missiles, both of which the US agreed years ago to sell to Taiwan.
It took until April for the navy to enter a contract for production of 400 ground-launched Harpoon missiles to Taiwan, the lawmakers wrote, adding that was two-and-a-half years after the US Department of Defense’s October 2020 announcement of the sale to Taiwan of the weapons, they said.
That risked putting delivery beyond 2027, the year US officials say is China’s target date to be ready to conduct an invasion, they added.
Gallagher and Kim said 10 months after Taiwan signed a letter of acceptance to purchase 60 air-launched Harpoons and 135 SLAM-ER missiles in December last year, the navy still had not asked contractors to submit bids for production.
Such lengthy timelines are not unique to those two systems, they added.
“The inability to supply key weapons at such a consequential moment in our efforts to prevent war is deeply troubling,” they said, asking the navy to clarify deadlines for Harpoon delivery and requests for bids for those missiles, and provide assessments for speeding up contracting and production.
China has repeatedly demanded the US end what Beijing sees as Washington’s provocative support for Taiwan’s military.
The US is Taiwan’s most important arms supplier, and top US military leaders have also acknowledged the need to speed up delivery.
Taiwan has in recent years complained of delays to other US weapon deliveries, such as Stinger anti-aircraft missiles. Taipei has asked the US at times to turn to alternate suppliers or allies to help source equipment.
Additional reporting by CNA
Tropical Storm Usagi strengthened to a typhoon yesterday morning and remains on track to brush past southeastern Taiwan from tomorrow to Sunday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was approximately 950km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost point, the CWA said. It is expected to enter the Bashi Channel and then turn north, moving into waters southeast of Taiwan, it said. The agency said it could issue a sea warning in the early hours of today and a land warning in the afternoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving at
UPDATED FORECAST: The warning covered areas of Pingtung County and Hengchun Peninsula, while a sea warning covering the southern Taiwan Strait was amended The Central Weather Administration (CWA) at 5:30pm yesterday issued a land warning for Typhoon Usagi as the storm approached Taiwan from the south after passing over the Philippines. As of 5pm, Usagi was 420km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost tip, with an average radius of 150km, the CWA said. The land warning covered areas of Pingtung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春), and came with an amended sea warning, updating a warning issued yesterday morning to cover the southern part of the Taiwan Strait. No local governments had announced any class or office closures as of press time last night. The typhoon
At least 35 people were killed and dozens more injured when a man plowed his car into pedestrians exercising around a sports center in the southern Chinese city of Zhuhai on Monday night. Footage showing bodies lying on the pavement appeared on social media in the hours after the crash, but had vanished by early Tuesday morning, and local police reported only “injuries.” It took officials nearly 24 hours to reveal that dozens had died — in one of the country’s deadliest incidents in years. China heavily monitors social media platforms, where it is common for words and topics deemed
Typhoon Usagi yesterday had weakened into a tropical storm, but a land warning issued by the Central Weather Administration (CWA) was still in effect in four areas in southern Taiwan. As of 5pm yesterday, Tropical Storm Usagi was over waters 120km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), the southernmost tip of Taiwan proper, and was moving north at 9kph, CWA data showed. The storm was expected to veer northeast later yesterday. It had maximum sustained winds of 101kph, with gusts of up to 126kph, the data showed. The CWA urged residents of Kaohsiung, Pingtung County, Taitung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春) to remain alert to
RSS