On December 15 (US EST), the United States government announced that it had notified Congress of the sale to Taiwan of a US$300 million military package, which is expected to come formally into effect in one month. The package includes follow-on life cycle support to maintain Command, Control, Communications, and Computer (C4) capabilities. Spokesperson Olivia Lin (林聿禪) on December 16 said that the Presidential Office is grateful to the US government for continuing to fulfill its security commitments to Taiwan in accordance with the Taiwan Relations Act and the Six Assurances by helping Taiwan obtain required defense equipment, showing the importance the US government places on Taiwan’s national defense needs.
Spokesperson Lin said that this is the 12th military sale to Taiwan announced since President Joe Biden took office and is the fourth such sale this year. The spokesperson said that this sale of systems operation and support equipment will bolster the effectiveness of Taiwan’s joint military command and management system, which will allow the military to have a better grasp of the common operational picture (COP), assisting in the effective execution of defensive combat operations.
The spokesperson said that Taiwan stands on the frontline of the defense of democracy and will continue to strengthen its self-sufficiency in national defense as it upholds the values of freedom and democracy. At the same time, the spokesperson said, Taiwan will continue to enhance its security partnership with the US and to cooperate with like-minded countries to safeguard peace, stability, development, and prosperity across the Taiwan Strait and in the Indo-Pacific region at large.
