As Congress heightens its support for Taiwan amid fears that China could invade in the next few years, calls are growing for more U.S. military training for the island's forces.
Last year's defense policy bill required the Pentagon and State Department to collaborate on creating a “comprehensive training program” to enhance interoperability between the U.S. and Taiwanese militaries. The training should include, “as necessary,” joint tabletop exercises, war games, full-scale military exercises and “an enduring rotational United States military presence that assists Taiwan in maintaining force readiness,” according to the bill.
Asked at a House hearing this week about the timeline to conduct joint U.S.-Taiwanese military exercises, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command chief Adm. John Aquilino declined to answer in an unclassified setting.
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The response left lawmakers concerned. Asked by Military.com whether he's confident the Pentagon will implement the defense bill requirement, Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., the House Armed Services Committee member who questioned Aquilino about joint exercises, said, “Not based on the response I got.”
In 2021, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen confirmed in an interview with CNN that a small number of U.S. troops were on the island training Taiwanese forces. The Wall Street Journal also reported…
