TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — U.S. lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are pushing to transfer part of the weapons production chain to Taiwan.
U.S. political news website Politico reported Wednesday (April 17) that a growing number of Congress members recommend allowing Taiwan to manufacture U.S.-designed weapons systems to address bottlenecks in the supply of fighter jets, tanks, drones, and missiles.
However, some experts are concerned about Taiwan being infiltrated by Chinese spies, which could lead to the theft of advanced technology.
In recent years, the complexity of US-Taiwan arms sales has increased due to supply chain issues, labor shortages, and conflicting policy priorities. Supporters of the plan say if Taiwan can independently make U.S. weapon systems, it would strengthen Taiwan's defense against China. I would also help alleviate frustrations caused by the U.S.' cumbersome bureaucracy and overburdened defense industry.
Representative Mike Gallagher, head of the U.S. House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, has proposed transferring the production of U.S. aerial and underwater drones to Taiwan to expedite their deployment in the Taiwanese military. Following his visit to Taiwan in February, Gallagher, who is about to leave office, told Politico that doing so would “preposition weapons and strengthen deterrence so Xi Jinping thinks twice before believing the People’s Liberation Army could quickly and easily take control of the island."
A committee member who wished to remain anonymous told Politico that congressional members plan to introduce a provision in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to greenlight the transfer of advanced weapon technology to Taiwan for local production. Both parties are pushing for this, making it more likely to be included in the bill.
The U.S. State Department may also support this strategy. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said at a Center for a New American Security talk on April 3 that potential solutions to alleviate bottlenecks in U.S. defense contractor production lines include joint production of military hardware with major allies and partners. He said the growing number of global threats requires the U.S. to "work with trusted allies and partners even on the most sophisticated of weapons."
The State Department was cited by Politico as saying that “insufficient production capacity” tied to "industrial constraints" is delaying the delivery of weapons to Taiwan but declined to comment on whether Taiwan would be included as a candidate for cooperative weapon production.
Joint weapon production between Taiwan and the U.S. involves both the U.S. commitment to providing Taiwan with defense against Chinese invasion under the Taiwan Relations Act and concerns about whether U.S. defense companies can protect advanced weapon system designs from Beijing's spies. In recent years, Taiwan has investigated several cases of current or retired military officers engaging in espionage activities for China.
Richard Weir, vice president of global strategy at U.S. radar manufacturer IMSAR, was quoted by Politico as saying, "There is an assumption that Taiwan is so leaky to China, that if you did IP transfer or IP development that the Chinese would get it." The firm has signed preliminary contracts with two Taiwanese military drone manufacturers to provide radar systems.
However, former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Affairs Randy Schriver believes that worrying about Taiwan being infiltrated is more like an “excuse for inaction.”
He told Politico that Taiwan's "hyper-vigilance that results from decades of counter-espionage experience" has a good track record of protecting U.S. technology and intellectual property rights from Chinese espionage.
Campbell believes that in terms of weapon technology, the conventional U.S. approach that had been to "make sure that it did not fall into the wrong hands as we work more closely with allies and partners,” requires a comprehensive reassessment.
Rupert Hammond-Chambers, president of the US-Taiwan Business Council, told Politico that Taiwan needs to establish partnerships with Raytheon and Lockheed Martin to produce Javelin, Harpoon, Stinger, and other important missiles that the US cannot deliver to Taiwan on time.
Former Assistant Defense Secretary for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs Wallace “Chip” Gregson was cited by Politico as saying, "My understanding of the thinking of Raytheon and other places is that they’re ready to expand what they’re doing, but they need the U.S. government to support it."
The risk posed to Taiwan by the stagnation of weapon deliveries makes this partnership crucial. Gregson said, "We need a demonstrated boost to our deterrent capability and if that means coming up with new ways to produce modern weapons inside Taiwan, under license from U.S. corporations … then yes, let’s do it."
However, even congressional members who favor transferring the production of critical weapon systems to Taiwan question the industrial ability to undertake such tasks. Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn told Politico that building a strong industrial base in Taiwan requires numerous government bureaucratic procedures and regulations, “given the rate of Chinese aggression, there doesn’t seem to be enough time.”
Military experts, however, believe that Taiwan could achieve this goal. Former US Department of Defense official Tony Hu (胡振東) told Politico, "Production of the missile body, the propellant and the warhead are all low-tech, something Taiwan can already do."