Washington is considering selling Taipei new fighter jets to help upgrade the ROC’s aging fleet and address the growing gap between Taiwan and mainland Chinese air capabilities, according to the White House April 27.
The issue will be a top priority for Mark Lippert, new assistant secretary of defense, said Robert L. Nabors, an assistant to U.S. President Barack Obama and director of the White House Office of Legislative Affairs.
Lippert, in consultation with relevant agencies and the Congress, will play a leading role in discussing force transformation with his Taiwan counterparts, Nabors said. 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,” he added.
The White House latest statement was well-received in Taiwan. Philip Yang, minister of the Government Information Office, said April 29 that such news is appreciated, while David Lo, spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense, added that the MND welcomes any measures boosting the country’s defense capability.
Nabors’ remarks were contained in a letter to Republican 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 capabilities are shared by the White House, Nabors said, adding that the island only has 490 operational combat aircraft versus 2,300 on the other side of the strait.
The White House statement came 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 by the Obama administration.
Announced in September last year, the oft-criticized deal features retrofit packages for Taiwan’s F-16 A/B fleet, but did not include F-16 C/D jets despite a long-standing request from Taipei.
Cornyn has repeatedly called on the U.S. government to address this issue. He co-wrote the Taiwan Airpower Modernization Act, which requires the Obama administration to sell no fewer than 66 new F-16s to Taiwan. The bill has not passed the Senate, but may be debated in the House of Representatives this spring.
F-16 jets are assembled in Cornyn’s home state of Texas by Lockheed Martin Corp., the largest defense company in the world. (JSM)
Write to Rachel Chan at rachelchan@mail.gio.gov.tw