Text/Competition
A few days ago, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a $95 billion legislative plan to provide military assistance to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. But because U.S. arms deliveries to Taiwan are far behind schedule, some U.S. lawmakers have urged the Biden administration to speed up the delivery of relevant missiles.
According to the global network, a congressman sent a letter to the U.S. House Appropriations Committee, asking for an investment of $165 million to increase the speed of delivery of "Harpoon" anti-ship missiles to Taiwan, and stressed the need to deploy weapons to Taiwan before the so-called "Davidson window" (former commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Davidson, predicted that 2027 is the time node for the mainland to implement "military reunification"). The lawmaker pointed out that Harpoon missiles are a much-needed deterrent to prevent Chinese mainland from "invading or blocking" Taiwan.
(The picture shows the U.S. House of Representatives)
In fact, speeding up arms deliveries is also what the DPP authorities aspire to. The U.S. Department of Defense announced in April last year that it would sell as many as 400 land-based Harpoon missiles to Taiwan, and Taiwan officials have been negotiating with the United States to ensure that more than half of the missiles will be delivered in the next three years and the remaining missiles will be delivered by the end of 2029.
The Harpoon is an over-the-horizon anti-ship missile developed by the Boeing Company of the United States, and Taiwan hopes to strengthen its capability of "resisting reunification by force" by purchasing more anti-ship missiles in a short period of time. Taiwan's defense department even claimed that the procurement plan was based on computer simulation studies, which showed that it was necessary to destroy 50 percent of the "enemy's" naval targets with anti-ship missiles.
(The picture shows the Harpoon anti-ship missile)
But the Harpoon anti-ship missile is somewhat behind the times. Although the maximum range is only more than 300 kilometers, which is still sufficient in the Taiwan Strait, this missile does not possess the ability to penetrate defense at supersonic speed, nor does it have good stealth capability.
In fact, in recent years, the anti-ship missiles used by the US military have also been moving forward, but they are different from the hypersonic routes of China and Russia. The newly developed LRASM missile developed by the United States is more inclined to intelligence, stealth, and long-range. Many NATO allies, including the United States, have given up on purchasing Harpoon missiles, and the Taiwan authorities are still picking up this old "foreigner."
(The picture shows the improved air-launched Harpoon missile SLAM-ER)
However, what poses a greater threat than the Harpoon anti-ship missile is the improved air-launched Harpoon missile SLAM-ER, which has the capability of all-weather, day-and-night precision strikes, with a range of up to 300 km, and can be mounted by F-16 fighters in active service in the "Taiwan military" to strike outside the defense zone against coastal military targets on the mainland. The purpose of the weapons provided by the United States to Taiwan is to enable the "Taiwan military" to have a stronger long-range strike capability and to launch a source strike against the PLA's possible assembly points.
And this missile can still change the target after launch, and is considered to be the most accurate strike among the US Navy weapons. It is only purchased by a few countries such as South Korea and Turkey, and is even regarded as a strategic-level strike weapon by these countries, which shows that its performance is extraordinary.
(The picture shows the F-16 fighter of the "Taiwan Army")
What is embarrassing, however, is that many of the weapons sold by the United States to Taiwan are facing the problem of delayed delivery. And not just missiles, but even tanks. As a matter of fact, the United States has increased the military strength of the "Taiwan military" in recent years, not to protect Taiwan, but to "use Taiwan to contain China." While creating tension in the Taiwan Strait, it is also constantly hollowing out Taiwan's major industries. The so-called plan for military aid to Taiwan is also a pit of all kinds, not only did it take the money first and deliver it late, but some of the funds in the military aid case were even directly left in the United States on the grounds of training. The hundreds of millions of dollars invested in the so-called "accelerated missile delivery" will probably also go to domestic arms dealers.
In the eyes of the United States, Taiwan can only rely on itself, so it will be up to you. If you can ask for more, you can ask for more, and if you can give less, you can give less.