REGIONAL STABILITY:
The arms sale to Taiwan is the 18th approved by US President Joe Biden’s administration and the sixth since William Lai was elected president on January 13.

The US government on Friday announced arms sales including spare parts and support for F-16 fighter jets as well as further support for Mobile Enhanced Subscriber Equipment (IMSE), for a total cost of $387 million.

This is the 18th arms sale approved by US President Joe Biden’s administration to Taiwan and the sixth since the January 13 presidential and legislative elections.

The Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said it issued the required certification on Friday when it informed the US Congress of the latest arms sale.

Photo: Cheng I-hwa, Bloomberg

The proposed arms sale is consistent with U.S. law and policy as expressed in Public Law 96-8, the agency added.

The agency, in a statement released Friday, said the US State Department has approved foreign military sales of spare parts and support for the F-16 fighter jet and active electronically scanned array radars and associated equipment at an estimated cost of $320 million in Taiwan.

Deliveries are expected to begin next year.

The agency said the proposed sale would improve Taiwan’s ability to address threats by maintaining the operational readiness of its fleet of F-16 aircraft.

The agency said in a separate statement that the U.S. State Department also approved the sale of tracking support to IMSE for approximately $65 million.

The Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States requested the acquisition of expanded services provided under a previously implemented case, including follow-on support for the IMSE system and the Experimental Force.

The proposed sale aims to extend these same services for two more years, the agency said.

Both arms deals serve “the national, economic, and security interests of the United States by supporting the recipient’s ongoing efforts to modernize its armed forces and maintain a credible defensive capability,” he said.

The proposed arms sales agreements “would also help improve the security of the recipient and maintain political stability, military balance and economic progress in the region”, it adds.

The sale of spare parts and support services for F-16 aircraft would be transferred from U.S. government inventories, the agency said.

Implementing the sale would not require posting additional U.S. government officials or contractors to Taiwan, it adds.

Regarding the sale of tracking support for IMSE, the agency said the prime contractor will be General Dynamics Mission Systems, Fairfax, Virginia.

Implementing the sale would not require the assignment of U.S. government officials, but would require sending three technical assistance representatives to Taiwan to support commissioning and training of the equipment, it adds. .

In Taipei, the presidential office said yesterday that the latest arms sale deepened the security partnership between Taiwan and the United States and was an important cornerstone for peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

The Ministry of National Defense expressed gratitude to the United States for this latest arms sale, which it said will continue to provide Taiwan with assistance to strengthen the country’s self-defense capabilities and establish a basis for maintaining security. regional stability.

Sales of spare parts and support for F-16 fighter jets and active electronically scanned array radar logistics are expected to help maintain the combat readiness of the Air Force’s F-16 fleet and to strengthen the country’s air defenses, he added.

The proposed sale of IMSE follow-on support would provide Taiwan with the assistance needed to maintain the effectiveness of its regional tactical communications system, strengthen its field information communication capabilities, and establish reliable defense, it added. press release.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said it received formal notice from the US government regarding the two arms sales plans, which highlight the Biden administration’s efforts to ensure Taiwan has self-defense capabilities sufficient to face threats from China. .

The Foreign Ministry also thanked the US government for approving the two arms sales deals to Taiwan based on the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) and the “six assurances.”

The TRA was enacted in 1979 to maintain trade, cultural and other unofficial relations between the United States and Taiwan after Washington transferred diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing. The TRA also requires the United States to “provide Taiwan with weapons of a defensive nature.”

The “six assurances”, given by Ronald Reagan to Taiwan in 1982, included an assurance that the United States would not set a date for ending arms sales to Taiwan and would not hold prior consultations with China on arms sales to Taiwan. Taiwan.