There are 19 weapons purchases worth US$22 billion that have been approved by the US Congress, but await delivery to Taiwan until 2027 or later, a US House of Representatives report said on Wednesday.
The report was written by the Foreign Military Sales Technical, Industrial and Governmental Engagement for Readiness (TIGER) Task Force convened by the House Foreign Affairs Committee in June last year.
The eight-member bipartisan task force aims to study legislative improvements to foreign military sales processes led by the US Department of State amid delays in deliveries to US partners and allies, it said.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Such delays raise concern that partners might turn to other sources, harming US influence and defense manufacturing, it said.
The summary raises Taiwan in particular as an example, saying that 19 outstanding purchases await delivery in 2027 or later.
Some cases do not even have a delivery date, it said, adding that the “process as it functions today fails to meet the challenges posed by the most dangerous national security environment since World War II.”
The delays are a result of policy decisions, prioritization of other conflicts and issues with manufacturing, which is not optimized for wartime production, the report said.
It also cited consolidation in the defense industry, which has made the industry more efficient, but lowered competition incentive to invest in production capacity.
The report offers suggestions for improving legislative bottlenecks, including adjustments for inflation, regular reviews, better funding the Special Defense Acquisition Fund, enhancing exportability and improving communication.
“As we’ve learned with recent conflicts, it’s critical the US help arm our partners and allies like Taiwan in advance, and we hope these reforms will help deter future aggression,” US Representative Mike Waltz, a coleader of the task force, said in a news release.
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