The US Department of State has approved a US$300 million sale of equipment to help maintain Taiwan’s tactical information systems, the Pentagon said on Friday, the latest US assistance for the country’s defenses.
US law requires it to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself.
The Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency said the sale was for follow-on life cycle support to maintain Taiwan’s command, control, communications and computer (C4) capabilities.
Photo: Tyrone Siu, Reuters
The support would improve Taiwan’s capability to “meet current and future threats by enhancing operational readiness” and maintain existing C4 capabilities that provide a secure flow of tactical information, it added.
In Taipei, the Ministry of National Defense yesterday said that the sale would help maintain the effectiveness of its joint combat command and control systems so it can improve battlefield awareness.
“The Chinese communists’ frequent military operations around Taiwan presents a serious threat to us,” the ministry said, adding that it expected the sale to “take effect” in one month.
It also expressed its thanks to Washington for the sale.
The US Congress is to be notified and the sale is likely to go ahead.
The Presidential Office said that the deal, the 12th arms sale by US President Joe Biden’s administration to Taipei, demonstrates the great importance the US government attaches to Taiwan’s defensive needs.
A national security source yesterday said that the C4 system’s joint warfare capabilities are inadequate.
The military procured its integrated C4 management system from US defense contractor Lockheed Martin under the Syun An (迅安, “Swift Security”) program, part of the Po Sheng (博勝, “Broad Victory”) program, the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Put in effect under then-president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) administration, the management system was designed to generate a combined operational picture for the entire military, but many problems have been identified, the official said.
Notably, the Syun An system was unable to properly integrate data from the long-range early-warning radar system in the northern mountains and its downgraded Link 16 tactical data network was incompatible with non-US equipment, such as French-made La Fayette-class frigates and Mirage 2000 fighters, as well as Taiwan’s Indigenous Defense Fighters, they said.
Although a patch for the system interface compatibility issues was developed, the US did not sell Taiwan enough Link 16 systems to fully equip all of its ships, aircraft, and air defense and radar systems, they said.
The Syun An system has been in use for more than a decade and is showing signs of obsolescence, lacking modern features and ease of use, the official said.
In May, the Ministry of National Defense told lawmakers that the US would help it obtain NATO’s standard Link 22 technology to boost the military’s over-the-horizon networking and counter-electronic warfare capabilities.
Most importantly, the technology would enable true interoperability by generating an identical operational picture for the forces of Taiwan, the US and its allies, according to former US Department of Defense senior director for China, Taiwan and Mongolia Tony Hu (胡振東).
In related news, the ministry yesterday morning said that in the previous 24-hour period it had detected nine Chinese military aircraft crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait.
That line used to serve as an unofficial barrier between the two countries, but China’s air force now regularly sends its aircraft across it, although they have not flown into Taiwan’s territorial airspace.
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