Commentary
For the first time, the United States is using the presidential drawdown authority (PDA) to provide weapons to Taiwan. This is the same authority previously used to send arms to Ukraine.
The PDA allows a president to transfer weapons from U.S. stockpiles to an ally during an emergency.
During the final week of July, the United States announced $345 million in military aid to Taiwan, including weapons from U.S. stockpiles and training for the Republic of China Army (ROCA). The 2023 budget includes congressional authorization for $1 billion worth of PDA for weapons aid for Taiwan.
The Biden administration has used the PDA to provide weapons to Ukraine, and given the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) mounting pressure on Taiwan, saw it appropriate to use it to shore up Taiwan’s defenses.
The United States Foreign Relations Authorization Act for fiscal year 2023 designates Taiwan as a “major non-NATO ally.” The United States has steadily augmented its military aid to Taiwan, particularly during the past two administrations. The Trump administration significantly increased the number of weapons being provided to Taiwan. Former President Donald Trump also stationed the first U.S. troops on the island nation since 1979. President Joe Biden has further increased military aid to Taiwan and has stated on at least four occasions that the United States would fight for Taiwan. The White House issued a disclaimer each time, but supporters of Taiwan see this as an example of enhanced U.S. commitment. The Taiwan Policy Act of 2022 further expanded the types and quantity of military aid the United States would provide to Taiwan.
The 2023 National Defense Authorization Act calls for the American Institute in Taiwan, the de facto U.S. Embassy in Taipei, to collaborate with Taiwanese authorities to develop and implement a multiyear plan to fortify Taiwan’s defense through arms sales and combined training with U.S. troops. It also includes the Taiwan Enhanced Resilience Act of 2022, which is meant to broaden security cooperation within the scope of the Taiwan Relations Act. The Taiwan Relations Act of 1979 requires Washington to provide Taiwan with weapons to defend itself.
The Enhanced Resilience Act empowers the president to use his drawdown authority to provide weapons to Taiwan in an expedited manner. It also explicitly names the Chinese military as the adversary, stating that the United States must provide Taiwan with military support to “allow Taiwan to respond effectively to aggression by the People’s Liberation Army or other actors from the People’s Republic of China.”
U.S. military aid to Taiwan is meant to “advance a strategy of denial, reduce the threat of conflict, thwart an invasion, and mitigate other risks to the United States and Taiwan.” In terms of reducing the threat of conflict, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Mark Milley said, “You want to make sure every single day President Xi wakes up and says today’s not that day, and that that decision never comes.”
Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) thanked the United States for its “firm security commitment.“ MND spokesman Maj. Gen. Sun Li-fang said, ”Taiwan and the U.S. will continue working closely on security issues to maintain peace, stability, and the status quo in the Taiwan Strait.”
The CCP has repeatedly threatened the United States and demanded Washington stop providing weapons to Taiwan. Beijing claims that the independent island nation is part of China and has not ruled out taking it by force. On July 29, the CCP’s Taiwan Affairs Office issued a statement opposing this latest sale of military equipment and accused the United States of turning Taiwan into a “powder keg.”
Spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office Chen Binhua said that no matter how much money and weapons the United States provides, China would not be deterred from annexing the island nation. He said that U.S. arms were increasing rather than reducing the probability of a military confrontation.
This type of aggressive rhetoric from the CCP only serves to confirm the necessity of arming Taiwan. In early July, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said the United States and its allies should accelerate their weapons delivery to Taiwan so that the island nation is ready to defend itself.
Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
