US to assign liaisons in MND: sources
SHIFTING COOPERATION: With the new arrangement, US representatives would be able to participate directly in defense discussions, including weapons procurement
By Lo Tien-pin and Fion Khan / Staff reporter, with staff writer
Taiwan-US military cooperation is deepening, with the Pentagon expected to station personnel at the Ministry of National Defense (MND), sources said.
The NT$470 million (US$14.77 million) joint program is scheduled to run from this year through 2028, under which the Pentagon would dispatch representatives from the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy and the Institute for Defense Analyses, a senior military official said on condition of anonymity, adding that one representative from each organization would be stationed at the ministry’s headquarters.
The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy is one of the US’ bodies responsible for formulating national security and defense strategy, and would help align policy coordination between Taipei and Washington, they said.
The US Pentagon’s logo is pictured in the briefing room at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, in an undated photograph.
Photo: Reuters
The Institute for Defense Analyses is a defense think tank known for using data analysis and mathematical modeling to conduct complex defense simulations and operational assessments, they added.
The arrangement would place US personnel closer to Taiwan’s defense policymaking process and allow them to assist with policy coordination and combat capability assessments, elevating bilateral military integration to the highest level, they said.
The move supplements the presence of hundreds of US military instructors in Taiwan who have assisted with military training.
US defense personnel have long maintained a presence in Taiwan, usually in less visible roles, an anonymous military official said.
The American Institute in Taiwan’s (AIT) security cooperation and technical offices are staffed by active-duty US military personnel and civilian defense officials responsible for coordinating arms sales and logistics cooperation, they said.
The US’ Defense Innovation Unit has also over the past few years assigned liaison officers to the AIT to help integrate Taiwan’s drone and technology supply chains to address technological warfare and cross-strait tensions.
However, the new arrangement differs, because US representatives would work directly with Taiwan’s defense ministry rather than through AIT, the sources said.
That signals a shift in Taiwan-US military cooperation from tactical training to higher-level strategic planning and wargaming, they said.
US instructors usually focus on operational training and weapons employment, while the new arrangement would allow US experts to participate more directly in discussions on overall defense planning and asymmetric warfare tactics, such as providing on-site advice during the Han Kuang exercises and major weapons procurement evaluations, they added.
The move also reflects concrete efforts to institutionalize and normalize security cooperation between Taiwan and the US through legislation, such as the Taiwan Enhanced Resilience Act and successive US national defense authorization acts, they said.
However, the presence of US personnel within the core of Taiwan’s defense establishment would require stricter mechanisms governing the sharing of classified information, confidentiality procedures and cybersecurity protections, the sources said.
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