The United States’ $567 million emergency security assistance plan for Taiwan is reportedly in its final stages, awaiting the ultimate signature from the President. This aid package stands as the largest military security assistance to Taiwan from the U.S. to date, nearly doubling the comprehensive aid program of $345 million to Taiwan last year.
Following the President’s final approval, these supplies will be directly shipped to Taiwan by the U.S. government, following a process similar to the one supporting Ukraine’s defense. A congressional aide and a U.S. official mentioned that the President might approve this assistance to Taiwan by the end of this month before the fiscal year’s closure.
According to a U.S. official cited in Defense News, this security assistance will fund training, stockpiling, anti-armor weapons, air defense, and multi-domain awareness capabilities. The aid package will also include drones, crucial for Taiwan to counter Beijing’s military threats using an “asymmetric” strategy.
The Pentagon and the U.S. National Security Council have not provided comments on the matter but reiterated the U.S.’s right to support Taiwan’s self-defense according to its long-standing policy. A spokesperson from Taiwan’s representative office in the U.S. stated in a release, “We have no further comments on this matter. Taiwan will continue to enhance its defense capabilities and collaborate closely with the U.S. to actively maintain peace, stability, and prosperity in the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific region.”
To accelerate support for Taiwan, the U.S. Congress authorized the government to annually provide Taiwan with up to $1 billion worth of direct arms sales. This approach is more direct than previous aid provided through arms sales to Taiwan.
In April this year, the U.S. Congress allocated $1.9 billion to replenish military inventories provided by the U.S. to Indo-Pacific countries. Since then, the Pentagon’s leadership has been planning how to utilize these funds, with a significant portion intended for Taiwan.
Multiple officials revealed that this aid plan underwent several rounds of revisions, initially with a smaller planned amount. However, during a cross-department meeting of senior officials in the Biden administration this summer, it was decided to substantially increase the amount, eventually settling on $567 million.
U.S. officials mentioned that the Pentagon is currently developing a third presidentially directed aid package for Taiwan, planning to complete it before the end of the Biden administration’s term in January next year.
This week, the U.S. approved the sale of $228 million worth of military equipment maintenance and spare parts to Taiwan. Currently, Taiwan is awaiting the delivery of military sales from the U.S., totaling $19 billion.