TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Two key congressmen on Wednesday (Oct. 25) sent a letter to the U.S. Secretary of the Navy to speed up the sales of weapons needed by Taiwan as "time is running out" to deter a Chinese invasion of Taiwan.
Mike Gallagher, chair of the U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee on China, and Young Kim, chair of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Indo-Pacific, sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro requesting the U.S. Navy (USN) accelerate the production and sales of weapons to Taiwan. The weapons systems highlighted included the Harpoon missile and its variant the SLAM-ER (Standoff Land Attack Missile-Expanded Response), both of which the U.S. has agreed to sell to Taiwan.
However, there have been delays in the Navy awarding contracts for their manufacture.
The representatives said that based on some predictions Beijing plans to prepare to invade Taiwan by 2027. They warned that bureaucratic delays in the Navy are hindering the production and delivery of vital weapons to Taiwan, including anti-ship missiles.
The two representatives requested Del Toro provide a response by Nov. 8 to update the status of weapons sales, including the delivery timeline for the sale of 400 Harpoon missiles, 100 Harpoon Coastal Defense Systems (HCDS), and radar units to Taiwan. They also requested a status update on a request for proposal for the production of 60 air-launched Harpoon missiles and 135 SLAM-ER missiles.
They sought information about options that would enable the USN to expedite the production, and delivery of the missile systems. They also inquired about alternative approaches to the standard foreign military sales process that can expedite the contracting, production, and delivery of the weapons.
Gallagher and Kim pointed out that China has more than 340 warships, making it the largest naval fleet in the world. They argued that preventing China from invading Taiwan requires turning the country into a porcupine by stockpiling large quantities of weapons that can target the Chinese fleet and prevent the PLA from establishing a foothold in Taiwan.
They argued that effective ground and air-launched missiles are an indispensable part of repelling Chinese naval vessels and landing craft attempting to cross the Taiwan Strait. While the U.S. agreed to sell Harpoon and SLAM-ER missiles to Taiwan, they said the USN's delays in awarding the missile manufacturing contracts had led to "unacceptable uncertainties in the delivery of weapons to Taiwan."
BREAKING: Chairman @RepGallagher and @RepYoungKim call on @SECNAV to speed up production and weapon sales to Taiwan.
“By our own leaders' words and warnings, time is running out to deter the Chinese Communist Party from invading Taiwan - a vital partner of the United States.” pic.twitter.com/hvGqC6hvW7
— The Select Committee on the CCP (@committeeonccp) October 26, 2023