The United States has a “quite high” sense of urgency to help Taiwan strengthen its military capabilities and is working to expedite delayed arms deliveries, said the island’s Defense Minister Wellington Koo on Wednesday.
Taiwan, facing increasing military threats from China, has been complaining about repeated delays in the delivery of arms ordered from the United States, its main international supporter and arms supplier, which Beijing claims as its territory.
One of the major delays involves a 2019 order for 66 F-16V fighter jets from Lockheed Martin, equipped with more advanced avionics, armament, and radar systems to better counter the Chinese Air Force, including its stealth fighters like the J-20.
Most of the ordered weapon systems have already been delivered or arrived, Wellington Koo told reporters in Parliament.
“For the parts that have experienced delays, the United States has already set up a special project team to expedite the related armament programs and help us catch up with the schedule as quickly as possible,” he said.
“I have also repeatedly explained that the sense of urgency from the United States to help us strengthen our self-defense capabilities as quickly as possible is indeed very high.”
The deliveries of F-16V fighter jets to Taiwan will start this year, with production at “full capacity,” the ministry announced over the weekend.
Last week, Michael Miller, director of the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency, said he had signed a directive in 2023 to prioritize Taiwan over other buyers, emphasizing that security cooperation and assistance for Taiwan were a top priority.
The United States is legally obligated to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself, and arms sales have been a constant source of tension between Washington and Beijing, which has demanded they cease.
