TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on Friday (July 15) said that U.S. deliveries of weapons to Taiwan must be accelerated.

Speaking at the U.S. ambassador's residence in Tokyo, Milley also spoke of the need to bolster Taiwan's air and sea defenses.

Milley was cited by AP as saying the U.S. is opposed to the "use of military to compel sort of unification."

"The speed at which we, the United States, or other countries assist Taiwan in improving their defensive capabilities, I think that probably needs to be accelerated in the years to come."

He said that Taiwan needs better air-to-air missiles, shore-to-ship missiles, and mines. "I think it's important that Taiwan's military and their defensive capabilities be improved," said Milley according to Reuters.

Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022, Taiwan has had a backlog of M109A6 Paladin self-propelled howitzers, Javelin antitank weapons, and Stinger surface-to-air missiles. Meanwhile, all three weapons systems have been delivered by the U.S. in large quantities to Ukraine.

The U.S. has taken steps to accelerate shipments of Javelins and Stingers to Taiwan in 2023, while Taiwan has opted for HIMARS instead of Paladins.