Taiwan Military News, Reports, Data, etc.

Yesterday at 5:57 PM
noted
U.S. military ship passes through strategic Taiwan Strait

Updated 5 hours ago
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related:
USS Green Bay Transits Taiwan Strait
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San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock USS Green Bay (LPD-20) transited the Taiwan Strait Friday morning at a time of increased trade tensions between the U.S. and China.

News of the transit was first
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As news of Green Bay’s Taiwan Strait transit spread, China announced it was increasing a host of existing tariffs on U.S. products by five to ten percent, according to a post on
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.

China considers it a provocation when foreign naval vessels pass through the 110-wide body of water separating the mainland from the island of Taiwan. The policy of the U.S. and other nations steaming through the strait is these trips are intended to ensure the free passage of vessels through the international waters.

Since July 2018, the U.S. Navy has sent ships through the Taiwan Strait ten times. French and Canadian naval vessels have also transited the strategic waterway during the past year.

Recent U.S. Taiwan Strait Transits:

Jul 7, 2018
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Oct 22, 2018
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Nov 28, 2018
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Jan 24, 2019
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Feb 25, 2019
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March 24, 2019
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April 28, 2019
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May 23
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July 24, 2019
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August 23, 2019 USS Green Bay (LPD-20)
 

Brumby

Major
Taiwan getting a bargain on F-16V jets: lawmakers

Citing data provided by the air force, Wang said the price that Taiwan is proposing to pay is less than the average price paid by Bahrain, Slovakia, Morocco and Bulgaria, about US$149 million per F-16V.

DPP Legislator Tsai Shih-ying (蔡適應) said the sale is a bargain because it is the cheapest F-16Vs the US has sold since 2009.

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Taiwan getting a bargain on F-16V jets: lawmakers



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not sure if 8b is "a bargain" I mean this figure is already in (dated 16 Aug 2019)

US Tells Congress of Plans to Sell F-16 Fighters to Taiwan
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while now the article you linked boasts about "Taiwan is expected to spend NT$250 billion (US$7.96 billion) to buy 66 F-16V jets, which will put the cost of a single aircraft at a relatively cheap price of about US$121.7 million, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) said, using a conversion rate of NT$30.94 to US$1."

but it well maybe there's some spin involved which I can't grasp LOL
 

Skywatcher

Captain
Taiwan getting a bargain on F-16V jets: lawmakers



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Even in the era of fake news, that's a pretty bald faced lie.

Yes, you can get a cheaper deal, if you skip little incidentals like air to air missiles and a sufficient spare parts stockpile, which for some annoying little reason are actually necessary if you want your fighters to be worth anything.

Truly, the PLA couldn't ask for a better person than Tsai to run the ROC Armed Force's procurement.
 

Brumby

Major
not sure if 8b is "a bargain" I mean this figure is already in (dated 16 Aug 2019)

US Tells Congress of Plans to Sell F-16 Fighters to Taiwan
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while now the article you linked boasts about "Taiwan is expected to spend NT$250 billion (US$7.96 billion) to buy 66 F-16V jets, which will put the cost of a single aircraft at a relatively cheap price of about US$121.7 million, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) said, using a conversion rate of NT$30.94 to US$1."

but it well maybe there's some spin involved which I can't grasp LOL

Do you reckon $115 million plus per plane is a bargain?

66 X $115m (say)
9 X $41m (spares) = $7.96 Billion

The contract with Slovakia of $800 million for 14 F-16's look more like a bargain i.e. $57 million each.

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now
Taiwan Wants Updated Submarine Force
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A modern submarine force to deter China’s ambitions to take over Taiwan tops the island’s unmet defense needs, its first civilian defense minister told a Washington, D.C., audience on Wednesday.

“We are far behind” in that arena, said Michael Tsai during an appearance at the Hudson Institute. After a proposed deal negotiated under President George W. Bush to have Taiwan buy diesel-powered subs fell apart, he said Taipai’s only recourse is to build submarines domestically. But “we need technical support from the United States, Japan and other countries” to do that.

The technical support includes torpedo systems and combat integration, said Seth Cropsey, a naval affairs analyst at Hudson.

Even with technical support and Taiwan’s strong financial underpinning, Tsai estimates it would take five to seven years to deliver that first submarine.

“We are still seeing if we can purchase used submarines for Taiwan” to meet the defense requirement immediately, Tsai said.

Taiwan has a lot of work to do to bring a submarine force up to standards to meet the challenges posed by China and its threats to use force, Cropsey said. The challenges include China’s practice of sending combat aircraft to circle Taiwan in dramatic shows of military force; China’s encouragement of divisions among Taiwan’s citizens over reunification, China’s use of economic, political and social pressure to isolate the island from other nations, and China’s blocking the Taiwanese government from joining international organizations.

“China and its military know the value of the first island chain” in its ability to project power into the Pacific, Cropsey said. “Taiwan serves as the anchor” in that chain that “is vital to the United States’ presence in the region.”

Tsai, an advocate of Taiwanese independence, said during the last two years, China has been “very, very aggressive. PLA [People’s Liberation Army] jet fighters cross over the middle line of the straits.” also, “frigates, destroyers cruise into our backyard — the Pacific Ocean. We don’t like it.”

As a result of Beijing’s actions, the
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to demonstrate its commitment to the Taiwan Relations Act and continued presence in the first island chain off China’s coast.

The American sale of 66 F-16 fighters, M1A2 tanks, Stinger surface-to-air missiles and other modern equipment and parts to Taipei was called a deterrent to China’s ambitions in the Indo-Pacific by Tsai and Cropsey.

American support of Taiwan’s defenses since the adoption of the One-China policy late in the administration of President Jimmy Carter as being “inconsistent and sporadic,” Cropsey said.

Tsai noted that 80 percent of Taiwan’s foreign defense spending goes to the United States and France. “We should be working together” in developing advanced technologies. Taiwan is a recognized leader in electronics and chip technologies.

“We also need U.S. support morally and Japan’s, [all] good-minded democracies,” such as Taiwan, can be examples to other nations, particularly in Southeast Asia, like Vietnam, Singapore and the Philippines, Tsai said. Beijing is pressuring Southeast Asian countries and Australia, with territorial and political and economic threats, he said.

That pressure includes eliminating Taiwan’s diplomatic presence in Asian nations and leaning heavily on Taiwan’s neighbors to scale-back to scale-down their trade arrangements with Taiwan in favor of trade with the mainland. China is also exerting similar pressure on the Pacific island nations, in Africa and Latin America, Tsai said.

By showing a united front from Taipei to Tokyo to Washington, “China will understand we are working together” in areas broader than mutual security, Tsai said.

Among the concrete military steps that can improve relations, Tsai said, “We’d like to join multilateral, bilateral military exercises.”

Doing so signals to China of unity among the democracies and also enhance interoperability in response to a crisis, including humanitarian relief missions, he said.

“China was invited to RIMPAC four years ago,” but was disinvited to the most recent RIMPAC because of its aggressive behavior in the South China Sea. Instead, Tsai implied Taiwan should be invited to the next RIMPAC.

Tsai also called for American vessels to increase the number of port visits to Taiwan and for the U.S. Air Force to increase stop-overs to build military-to-military relationships. Other opportunities for joint activities include scheduling more joint counterterrorism and antipiracy operations, providing medical assistance, as Taiwan did in Afghanistan, and discussions to settle burden-sharing costs for these kinds of missions.

At a higher level, Tsai recommended “two plus two” regular meetings, possibly annually, between Taiwan’s defense minister and foreign affairs minister and their counterparts in the Pentagon and Foggy Bottom. The idea is to get them “talking about the military situation, the political situation” and possibly at some point expand those meetings to include Japan.

Tsai called for the end to the restriction barring those ministers and the president of Taiwan from coming to Washington for meetings with their Washington counterparts.

“China is against Taiwan becoming partners with the United States and Japan” over such a broad range of interests, he said.
 

Skywatcher

Captain
They're going to need to release a long term defense plan explaining exactly how they're going to pay for everything (the SAMs, submarines, F-16s, amphibious warships, replacement frigates and destroyers (!)).
 

PiSigma

"the engineer"
They're going to need to release a long term defense plan explaining exactly how they're going to pay for everything (the SAMs, submarines, F-16s, amphibious warships, replacement frigates and destroyers (!)).
They can't, election coming up, no need to plan more than 4 years ahead.
 
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