Taiwanese defense authorities are renewing their call for the accelerated delivery of U.S. weapons amid a continued drumbeat of Chinese Communist military pressure.
“Given the ongoing Russian-Ukraine war, Taiwan and the U.S. have recognized the importance of speeding up the delivery of weapons systems to Taiwan to urgently beef up its defense capabilities,” Taiwanese Vice Defense Minister Hsu Yen-pu was quoted Tuesday as saying during this week’s US-Taiwan Defence Industry Conference.
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Hsu couched that call in a wider argument for enhanced coordination between U.S. and Taiwanese defense industries. And if U.S. policymakers have debated the potential trade-offs that might arise when trying to arm both Taiwan and Ukraine, Taiwanese officials have signaled that they see value in sustaining the Ukrainian war effort.
“In our discussions with the Taiwanese officials, it's clear that they feel like Ukraine’s success has been helping their case, has been helping them in terms of deterring or dissuading Chinese aggression against them,” Hudson Institute senior fellow Bryan Clark told the Washington Examiner.
The scale and intensity of the full-scale war in Ukraine, which has raged for more than a year and a half despite Russian President Vladimir Putin’s apparent expectation that he could topple the Ukrainian government with ease, has exposed the degree to which Western defense manufacturing capacity has suffered from lack of large-scale use.
“We need to admit that our industrial base is too small and too slow,” said Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee.
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That statement reflects a growing consensus among Republicans and internationally. “It has become evident that our supply chain for military arms and ammunition is insufficient,” Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS), a member of the appropriations and intelligence committees. “If Ukraine is the example, all the more reason it’s the wake-up call for Taiwan. ... The outcome here has to be that we are revving up the industrial base not only to meet the needs of the Ukrainian army but to make sure that we have the weapons to defend our country and support our allies around the world.”
Hsu suggested that Taiwan can help with that effort. “Taiwan relies heavily on the U.S. to maintain most of its U.S.-made weapons systems and armaments, but … more Taiwanese defense companies and contractors [should be empowered] to produce and offer maintenance services for U.S.-bought weapon systems," Hsu said, according to Taiwan’s Central News Agency. “That would speed up arms deliveries to Taiwan and help integrate the two countries’ defense industries, which would boost Taiwan’s defense self-reliance and resilience."