TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed by the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee last month includes provisions to strengthen Taiwan’s military.

The bill calls on the U.S. secretary of defense and secretary of state to assess Taiwan’s “military absorption capability,” referring to its ability to effectively operate, maintain, deploy, and use defense items or services to achieve operational effectiveness.

It calls for a wide-ranging training, advising, and capacity-building program for Taiwan’s armed forces and requires U.S. military officials to work with Taiwanese counterparts to expand cooperation on military cybersecurity.

The armed services committee passed the NDAA in June with 24 votes in favor of the bill and one vote against it. The act provides a defense budget of up to US$876.8 billion (NT$274.4 trillion), including US$9.1 billion allocated to the Pacific Deterrence Initiative.

The new NDAA establishes the Indo-Pacific Campaigning Initiative in order to boost “frequency and scale of exercises, freedom of navigation operations, and partner engagements.” It also calls for the creation of the Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness Initiative, which is a defense initiative consisting of U.S. allies and partners, including Australia, Japan, and India.

In February, the U.S. announced it would send more troops to Taiwan in the coming months to train Taiwanese soldiers in military maneuvers and how to operate American weapons systems.

According to the U.S. Department of Defense, Washington has stationed between 20 and 40 troops in Taiwan in the past few years. Most of them are Marines, who are responsible for security at the American Institute in Taiwan, the U.S.’ de facto embassy.