U.S. Army General Mark Milley said on Friday that in order to help Taiwan defend itself, the United States and its allies need to increase the pace at which they ship weapons to the island in the coming years.
The United States is Taiwan’s primary source of military hardware. As Beijing sees the democratically governed island of Taiwan as its own, it has repeatedly demanded that the United States cease the sale of weapons to Taiwan.
During a visit to Tokyo, U.S. Army General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters, “The speed at which we, the United States, or other countries assist Taiwan in improving (their) defensive capabilities, I think that probably needs to be accelerated in the years to come”
Since last year, Taiwan has been complaining about the United States’ slow delivery of weapons like Stinger anti-aircraft missiles because manufacturers have diverted supplies to Ukraine.
Taiwan’s defense budget for this year is reportedly being used to stock up on weapons and F-16 fighter jet parts in anticipation of a “total blockade” by China.
In August, China staged war games around the island and simulated how it would attempt to cut Taiwan off in a conflict. In addition, Taiwan will conduct its annual war games at the end of the month, simulating the breaking of a Chinese blockade.
