[TWN] Cross-Strait Relations: Taiwanese Military Prepares for War

Cross-Strait Relations: Taiwanese Military Prepares for War

Taiwanese Military Prepares for War. On September 11, Taiwanese media, reported that Xiao Mei-chin, Taiwan’s ambassador to the United States and head of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) to the United States, visited Taiwanese troops participating in a military exercise led by the U.S. National Guard early last month.

At the time, “U.S. Army Pacific Commander Charles Flynn inspected the training site,” said Huang Xian-ren, deputy chief of staff of the Taiwan Army Command (Major General), describing the troops’ training.

The battalion under the 333rd Brigade of the Mechanized Infantry under the Army’s Eighth Army Corps participated in the National Guard’s “Northern strike exercise. The exercise was held at the Joint Training Center in Michigan from July 23 to last month 19.

Currently, Taiwan does not have diplomatic relations with the U.S.

However, in the U.S., Taiwanese soldiers have been able to continue to use Taiwanese military uniforms and personal equipment on U.S. military bases, including Taiwanese flags and rank insignia.

[Fig. 1] Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen (center) watches an anti-landing exercise by the Taiwanese military on the Penghu Islands. (Source from Taiwan Ministry of National Defense)

Cross-Strait Relations: 800 Taiwanese troops will train in California

The U.S. military plans to train Taiwanese army battalions of 600 to 800 soldiers on its bases by 2025. The Yomiuri Shimbun reported Sept. 16, citing sources.

Taiwanese Army companies ranging in size from 150 to 250 soldiers have trained in the United States before, but this will be the first time a battalion-sized exercise will take place, according to the report.

The U.S. military is considering the Army’s top training facility in California as a possible location for the exercise.

The Yomiuri Shimbun noted that the exercise “seeks to strengthen the Taiwanese military’s ability to fight the initial battle on its own in the event of a Taiwanese emergency,” and that “the U.S. seems to believe that showing increased cooperation between the U.S. and Taiwan will increase deterrence against China.”

“The U.S. needs to be confident that the Taiwanese military can survive the first few weeks if China invades Taiwan,” the U.S. military official said.

Previously, the Taiwanese military participated in a military exercise led by the National Guard in Michigan last month. The Taiwanese military has reportedly been participating in national guard exercises in U.S. states. such as Utah, Hawaii, and Washington for about a decade.

The Taiwanese military will buy weapons from the U.S. military

If it’s 800 people, it’s probably not a tactical exercise. This is most likely a weapons training exercise.

It will train specialized personnel to accept and operate new U.S. weapons systems.
Furthermore, These trained personnel will then return to Taiwan and join the units that will operate the new weapons systems.