Last week, Taipei received a response from Washington on the US$5.3 billion upgrade package for its 145 F-16 A/B fighters. Instead of welcoming this progress, the chattering classes began circulating tales of ROC air force officials balking at the deal’s price tag, and the Ministry of National Defense no longer having funds for the purchase.
Both claims, which MND insiders were quick to label as “mischievous,” can be gently pushed to one side, with greater focus placed on the April 27 news that Washington is again considering selling Taipei new jets to help upgrade the ROC’s aging fleet and address the growing gap between Taiwan and mainland Chinese air capabilities.
The issue is said to be a top priority for Mark Lippert, new U.S. assistant secretary of defense. He is in consultation with relevant agencies, as well as Congress, and will play a leading role in discussing force transformation with his Taiwan counterparts.
This near-term course of action includes how to address Taiwan’s fighter gap through the sale of an “undetermined number of new U.S.-made fighter aircraft,” according to Robert L. Nabors, an assistant to U.S. President Barack Obama and director of the White House Office of Legislative Affairs.
The indication that Taiwan could still get its long-requested F-16 C/D fighters was well received by ROC government officials. Philip Yang, minister of the Government Information Office, said April 29 that such news is appreciated, while MND spokesman David Lo added that the ministry welcomes any measures boosting the country’s defense capability.
Nabors’ remarks were contained in a letter to U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, who previously called on the Obama administration to expand U.S. arms sales to Taiwan in light of the growing military threat posed by mainland China. Concerns voiced by the senator over Taiwan’s air defense capabilities are valid as the island only has 490 operational combat aircraft versus 2,300 on the other side of the strait.
More worryingly, this assessment does not take into account the age of the aircraft operated by Taiwan. The F-5 is at the end of its operational life; the Indigenous Defense Fighter lacks the capability for sustained sorties; the Mirage 2000-5 is increasingly grounded due to expensive and frequent maintenance requirements; and the F-16 A/B will soon be temporarily out of service for upgrades.
Cornyn has repeatedly called on the U.S. government to do more for Taiwan when it comes to weapons sales, and also co-wrote the Taiwan Airpower Modernization Act, which requires the Obama administration to sell no fewer than 66 new F-16 C/D jets to Taiwan. The bill has not passed the Senate, but may be debated in the House of Representatives this spring.
Although the White House announcement came only after Lippert’s nomination was approved by Cornyn following nearly six months of wrangling over the scope of the US$5.85 billion arms package approved for Taiwan last September by the Obama administration, this is no reason for concern.
The public statement stands as an encouraging sign that robust Taiwan-U.S. relations are playing an important part in persuading Washington to take another look at the island’s air defense needs. This positive state of affairs has only been made possible through the pragmatic cross-strait and viable diplomacy policies of ROC President Ma Ying-jeou, who took office in May 2008 and will be sworn in for a second four-year term later this month.
In addition to the F-16 A/B upgrades and possible acquisitions of new F-16 C/D jets, the MND is said to be sending out feelers for purchasing the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Selected by Japan in January as its next-generation addition to the country’s Air Self-Defense Force, it makes sense for Taiwan to join a grouping of states boasting the most advanced airpower assets in the Asia-Pacific region.
Equipped with the latest stealth technology providing radar-evading capability in front and behind the aircraft, the F-35 can fly rings around its Russian and mainland Chinese competition. Defense analysts report that Australia and Canada have signed on for 100 and 65 of the jets, respectively, with India, Singapore and South Korea said to be eyeing purchases sooner rather than later.
While this approach has not been publicly stated by the ROC government, it was alluded to by Deputy Minister of National Defense Andrew N.D. Yang Sept. 18, 2011, on the sidelines of the U.S.-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference in Richmond, Virginia.
Yang, one of three keynote speakers at the conference, said the decision by Washington not to sell Taipei the F-16 C/D for now represents an opportunity for discussions on procuring the F-35. Since 2001, Taiwan has been entertaining the notion of adding the F-35B short take-off and vertical landing fighter to its arsenal.
A letter of intent was submitted for 120 F-35B STOVL aircraft in May 2002, and followed up in 2004 by a revised request for 60 F-35B STOVL and 150 F-35A conventional take-off and landing aircraft.
Under the Taiwan Relations Act, the U.S. is obligated to supply the ROC with all necessary weapons to organize a sufficient defense. There is no question that a request for F-35 and F-16 C/D fighters is within the letter of this law, making any sale consistent with the precepts of U.S. policy.
But for now, the F-16 A/B upgrades are the best bet for providing Taiwan with a multirole aircraft capable of checking the increasing military threat from mainland China. It is critical that Taipei continue making progress in this process so it can maintain an effective defense and deterrence strategy that preserves the cross-strait status quo.
Ed Zacapa is a freelance writer based in Kaohsiung. These views are the author’s and not necessarily those of Taiwan Today. Copyright © 2011 by Ed Zacapa
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