TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — American military aid to Ukraine has no impact on arms sales to Taiwan, U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks said at the Aspen Security Forum on Thursday (Dec. 8).
“U.S. support in Ukraine is in no way negatively affecting our ability to provide, fulfill foreign military sales cases, or otherwise support Taiwan,” Hicks said. She pointed out that the weapons, including Javelin and Stinger missiles, sent to Ukraine are from the U.S. military’s own supply and likened them to being from a “used car lot.”
Meanwhile, the Javelin and Stingers purchased by Taiwan are like “a new car,” meaning they are made to order, she said.
Hicks said the U.S. has been “very consistent” about certain asymmetric capabilities that could be “real game changers” for the Taiwanese military. She added that there is a lot Taiwan can do itself to improve its defensive capabilities.
“Taiwan needs to put its self-defense front and center,” Hicks said. She suggested the country establish a non-commissioned officer corps, formulate training and conscription timelines that support a more professional military, and improve combat training.
Hicks said the war in Ukraine demonstrates “the will of a people combined with the capability to stall or even stop a campaign of aggression.” In order to deter a Chinese attack, the Taiwanese must be "able to demonstrate that they can slow that down, let alone to defend against it,” she added
According to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), U.S. government and congressional officials are worried the Russian invasion of Ukraine has led to a backlog of arms shipments to Taiwan. The backlog of shipments has now grown to approximately US$18.7 billion (NT$573.1 billion).
