Taiwanese troops may be on their way to train on US soil

WASHINGTON ― A congressionally mandated commission is recommending the Pentagon train Taiwanese troops on U.S. soil to familiarize them with operating new weapons platforms the Asian nation purchased.

The bipartisan U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission made the suggestion to Congress as part of its annual report released Tuesday, but Taiwan may already have plans to send hundreds of troops to train in the United States.

Carolyn Bartholomew, the commission’s chair, told reporters the recommendation aims to ensure Taiwan is ready to use the weapons upon their receipt “so that there’s not a lag time between getting it and then taking another six months of training before it becomes operational and can be used in the field.”

“The lessons everybody is learning from what is happening in Ukraine has been that it’s really important for militaries to be trained on the advanced technology that they’re going to be getting before they actually get it, and before they need it in the field, because there’s been a terrible delay,” Bartholomew said.

The delay refers to an approximate $19 billion sales backlog of numerous weaponry that Taiwan has agreed to purchase from the U.S. but has yet to receive due to a confluence of supply chain issues, contracting and acquisition delays, and a medley of lengthy technological and security reviews within the Foreign Military Sales process.

“There’s currently training of Taiwan forces on certain weapons platforms to date,” the commission’s vice chair, Alex Wong, told Defense News, specifically citing F-16 fighter jets. “This is not unprecedented. However, there is not yet training again on the weapons systems that have yet to be delivered. Some of them would be new to the targeting forces.”

Wong said the commission’s proposal would “take the template that we already have with the F-16s, which we have delivered in the past,” and apply it to new weapons systems.

Taiwan’s estimated $8 billion purchase of 66 newer F-16 fighters comprises a significant portion of the overall arms sale backlog .

Taiwanese Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng told reporters in February that Taipei is sending an undisclosed number of troops to train in the U.S. on weapons systems and military operations, according to The Wall Street Journal . The U.S. also deploys a small number of troops on the island to train Taiwanese forces, something President Tsai Ing-wen confirmed in 2021.

Wang Ting-yu, a member of Taiwan’s legislature from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party who sits on a defense committee, told the BBC last week that Taiwan plans to send two battalions of ground troops to the United States. A battalion in Taiwan can consist of up to 600 troops, marking a significant increase in Taiwanese troops training in the U.S.

“The U.S. is emphasizing the desperate need to improve our military capacity. It is sending a clear message of strategic clarity to Beijing that we stand together,” Wang said.

Taiwan’s diplomatic office in Washington did not respond to Defense News’ request for comment, and the Pentagon would neither confirm nor deny plans to train Taiwanese troops on U.S. soil.

“We do not comment on specific operations, engagements or training, but I would highlight that our support for and defense relationship with Taiwan remains aligned against the current threat posed by the People’s Republic of China,” Pentagon spokesman John Supple told Defense News. “Our commitment to Taiwan is rock solid and contributes to the maintenance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and within the region.”

China considers Taiwan a rogue province and has threatened to retake it by force if necessary. President Xi Jinping has set 2027 as the year China’s military would be ready for a possible operation against Taiwan.

China frequently objects to U.S.-Taiwan military ties and is particularly sensitive to actions it construes as recognizing the island as an independent state.

“Consistent with the Taiwan Relations Act, the United States makes available to Taiwan defense articles and services necessary to enable it to maintain a sufficient self-defense capability,” Supple said.

Bryant Harris is the Congress reporter for Defense News. He has covered U.S. foreign policy, national security, international affairs and politics in Washington since 2014. He has also written for Foreign Policy, Al-Monitor, Al Jazeera English and IPS News.

华盛顿——国会授权成立的一个委员会建议五角大楼在美国本土训练台湾军队，使他们熟悉操作台湾购买的新型武器平台。

由两党组成的美国-中国经济与安全审查委员会在周二发布的年度报告中向国会提出了这一建议，但台湾可能已经有计划派遣数百名士兵到美国接受训练。

委员会主席卡罗琳·巴塞洛缪告诉记者，该建议旨在确保台湾在收到武器后能够立即使用，“这样就不会出现从收到武器到进行六个月的训练才能投入使用的情况”。

巴塞洛缪说：“大家从乌克兰发生的事情中吸取的教训是，军队在实际获得先进技术之前，以及在战场上需要这些技术之前，接受相关培训是非常重要的，因为已经出现了严重的延误。”

此次延误指的是台湾已同意从美国购买价值约 190 亿美元的多种武器装备，但由于供应链问题、合同签订和采购延误，以及对外军售过程中冗长的技术和安全审查等一系列因素，台湾至今仍未收到这些武器装备。

“目前台湾部队正在接受某些武器平台的训练，”该委员会副主席黄亚历克斯告诉《防务新闻》，他特别提到了F-16战斗机。“这并非史无前例。然而，尚未交付的武器系统也尚未进行训练。其中一些对目标打击部队来说是全新的。”

黄表示，委员会的提案将“沿用我们过去交付的 F-16 战机的模板”，并将其应用于新的武器系统。

台湾斥资约 80 亿美元购买 66 架新型 F-16 战斗机，这笔交易占台湾整体军售积压订单的很大一部分。

据《华尔街日报》报道，台湾国防部长邱国正2月份告诉记者，台北方面将派遣数量不详的部队赴美接受武器系统和军事行动方面的训练。美国也会在台湾部署少量部队，为台湾军队提供训练，蔡英文总统在2021年证实了这一点。

台湾执政党民进党立法院议员、国防委员会委员王廷宇上周告诉BBC，台湾计划向美国派遣两个营的地面部队。台湾一个营最多可容纳600名士兵，这标志着台湾军队在美国接受训练的规模将显著增加。

王毅说：“美国强调迫切需要提升我们的军事能力。这是在向北京发出一个明确的战略信号，那就是我们站在一起。”

台湾驻华盛顿外交机构没有回应《防务新闻》的置评请求，五角大楼既没有证实也没有否认在美国领土上训练台湾军队的计划。

五角大楼发言人约翰·萨普尔告诉《防务新闻》：“我们不对具体的行动、交战或训练发表评论，但我必须强调，我们对台湾的支持以及与台湾的防务关系，始终与应对中华人民共和国当前构成的威胁保持一致。我们对台湾的承诺坚定不移，有助于维护台海地区乃至整个地区的和平与稳定。”

中国视台湾为叛离省份，并威胁称必要时将以武力收复台湾。习近平主席已将2027年定为中国军队做好对台军事行动准备的年份。

中国经常反对美台军事关系，尤其对任何被其视为承认台湾为独立国家的举动都非常敏感。

萨普尔表示：“根据《台湾关系法》，美国向台湾提供必要的国防物资和服务，以使其能够维持足够的自卫能力。”

布莱恩特·哈里斯是《防务新闻》的国会记者。自2014年以来，他一直在华盛顿报道美国外交政策、国家安全、国际事务和政治。他还曾为《外交政策》、《Al-Monitor》、《半岛电视台英语频道》和IPS新闻撰稿。