The destroyers, to be named Zuoying and Magong after two Taiwanese harbors, left the United States last weekend bound for Taiwan where they will join the ROC Navy, according to agencies.
The four destroyers were sold to Taiwan at a cost of US$800 million after being decommissioned from the U.S. Navy. Transference of the destroyers was approved in 2001 by U.S. President George W. Bush. Taiwan took delivery of the first two destroyers, the Keelung and the Suao, commissioning them in December 2005.
The 9,600-tonne Kidd-class destroyers--renamed the Keelung-class after handover--sail at up to 32 nautical miles per hour, have radar with a search range of 400 kilometers and surface-to-air missiles with a range of 144 kilometers. The ships will take 30 to 40 days to travel the 12,000 nautical miles to their destination.
According to ROCN Commander-in-Chief Lin Chen-yi, refurbishment of the four warships started in September 2003. An ROCN team was sent to the United States for combat training and to help with reconstruction. The project was completed six months ahead of schedule.
Lin spoke at the ceremony marking the destroyers' departure from Charleston Harbor, South Carolina on August 25. Also present were Marine General John Toolan, principal director of the Asia-Pacific Affairs Office of the U.S. Secretary of Defense, and David Lee, Taiwan's representative in the United States, as well as navy representatives from both sides.
Lin expressed his appreciation to navy staff of both countries. He also emphasized that, following upgrading, the destroyers were able to integrate their air, surface and sub-surface systems for collective use on combat missions. They would thus enable the ROCN to fulfill its responsibility to secure peace in the Taiwan Strait.
Toolan said that sale of the destroyers was a good example of the United States' commitment to help Taiwan maintain sufficient self-defense capabilities as set forth in the Taiwan Relations Act. "The strength of Taiwan's military has kept the threat at bay, which has allowed the democratic transformation and economic development to take place," he said.
Toolan said, however, that the basis of the United States' lasting relationship with Taiwan went much deeper than provision of defense articles and services, founded as it was upon shared values and common principles. He said that the sale of the warships to Taiwan was an investment in the continuation of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
He called on Taipei to work harder to ensure stability in the strait by continuing with its defense modernization, suggesting that efforts should not be hampered by domestic politics.
Toolan also urged the leaders of Taiwan's ruling and opposition parties to "shoulder a collective responsibility of providing for the security of Taiwan's 23 million people," adding that, in doing so, Taiwan was playing an important role of preserving regional peace and helping keep many more millions across East Asia safe from the horrors of war.
Toolan reiterated that the United States opposes any unilateral change by either side to the cross-strait status quo as well as Beijing's use of force or coercion to compel a resolution of the cross-strait dispute.
Local news reports said that, while the Kidd-class destroyers represent the largest warships in the ROCN and so have boosted the nation's defenses against China, Taiwan still faces a growing military threat from China.
According to a Pentagon report released in May, a significant part of China's military buildup remains focused on Taiwan, with up to 790 ballistic missiles targeting the island. The report to the U.S. Congress also noted that Beijing is engaged in a sustained effort to project its power into the western Pacific so as to interdict U.S. aircraft carriers and other military forces.
Only last week, a Chinese warship passed through the Taiwan Strait, where it was closely monitored by both the ROCN and U.S. Navy, according to a local report.
China currently has 50 submarines, including eight Russian-made diesel-electric subs, and recently was reported to have taken delivery of the last of four Sovremenny-class destroyers from Russia. These destroyers are similar in size to the U.S. Navy's Aegis-equipped missile cruisers and, with an anti-submarine attack capability extending as far as 150 kilometers, could pose a significant threat to the Kidd-class destroyers, a Taiwanese weapons expert said.