TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Cooperation between Taiwan and U.S. defense industries is based on trust and partnership, U.S.-Taiwan Business Council (USTBC) President Rupert Hammond-Chambers said during the Taiwan-U.S. Defense Industry Forum on Wednesday (May 3).

In his opening remarks, Hammond-Chambers said the visiting American defense industry delegation aims to build partnerships with Taiwan counterparts on the basis of trust, “which has been built over decades of working together.” He said the U.S. and Taiwan need to act fast in order to take advantage of cooperation opportunities and emphasized that these partnerships must be “successful for our countries and also have the potential to benefit the world as a whole.”

Hammond-Chambers described the two countries as “flourishing democracies” that increase the welfare of both peoples and bolster the trust and partnership that give hope to future generations. “The bond that ties the two countries together is enormously important,” he said.

The USTBC president told Taiwan News that one major takeaway from the Ukraine war is that America’s defense industry is unable to produce weapons that foreign countries need for their own defense.

“The U.S. can’t do that on its own, it’s going to need help. Countries like Taiwan can’t do it on its (sic) own. It’s going to need help,” he said, which explains the purpose of the delegation. “We are here to engage with the Taiwan domestic defense industry and understand what expansion looks like in respect to Taiwan’s domestic needs, but also in respect to America's domestic needs and what Taiwan can do to help America.”

“There’s a sense of urgency in the U.S. broadly about a range of security issues, of which Taiwan is one,” he added.

Meanwhile, former commanding general of U.S. Marine Forces Pacific Steven Rudder, said the U.S. defense industry wants to be part of Taiwan’s self-defense capabilities. “We are committed to helping Taiwan defend itself because we, with our other like-minded partners in the area, want peace and security,” said Rudder, who is leading the delegation.

He said the delegation is leaving “no stone unturned” in terms of Taiwan’s defense and that development in both asymmetric and conventional capabilities are being considered. Rudder also stressed the importance of supply resilience and joint interoperability, which he said was the “endgame” of U.S.-Taiwan defense industry cooperation.

Rudder’s delegation, which is the first of its kind to visit Taiwan since 2019, comes as Taipei seeks to bolster its defense against an increasing Chinese military threat.

The group will exchange ideas with Taiwanese civilian industries and explore opportunities to jointly develop unmanned aerial vehicles with Taiwanese industry players. It is also slated to visit the National Chung Shan Institute of Science and Technology.

The delegation includes representatives from AeroVironment, AEVEX Aerospace, the American Institute in Taiwan, BAE Systems, Cubic Corporation, Elbit Systems of America, General Atomics, General Electric, LKD Aerospace, Maritime Tactical Systems, Northrop Grumman Corporation, Pacific Rim Defense, Persistent Systems, Planate Management Group, Project 2049, Raytheon Technologies, Tactical Air Support, Teledyne FLIR LLC, The Rehfeldt Group, U.S.-Taiwan Business Council, Lockheed Martin Corporation, L3Harris, Sierra Nevada Corporation, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, and SNC Corporation.