The United States has accelerated defense deals with Taiwan.
Pursuing seven sales at once is a rare departure from years of precedent in which U.S. military sales to the island were spaced out and carefully calibrated to minimize tensions with Beijing.
Well, that ship of calm relations sailed in the wake of Chinese pandemic misinformation, espionage, trade imbalances, propaganda, internal interference, foreign policy aggressiveness, and intensified internal repression in Hong Kong and Xinjiang.
There is interest in making Taiwan a hard target. The Taiwanese have a reinvigorated sense that they have to arm up to survive. And there is worry that if Trump loses the election that the Biden administration will distance itself from Taiwan to restore ties with China.
The deals reportedly include HIMARS rocket artillery and anti-tank missiles, sea mines and Harpoon anti-ship missiles for coastal defense, larger drones for surveillance and targeting, and anti-submarines weapons.
These will help in reducing what China can throw ashore, fighting the PLA ground forces that makes it ashore, and keeping sea lines of communication open for resupply or reinforcement.
I'm on record in Military Review as thinking American troops will be vital to eject China from any bridgeheads they establish. The rest of that Military Review issue with a focus on Taiwan and China is here.
