(Taipei) Taiwan has received its first batch of U.S. HIMARS multiple rocket launchers, the Taipei Defense Ministry said Wednesday, as the island works to strengthen its defenses against a potential attack from China.
Posted at 5:59 a.m.
The island has purchased 29 units from the United States, of which the first eleven have just been delivered, Deputy Defense Minister Po Horng-huei told a parliamentary committee.
However, neither the amount of the order nor the arrival date of the systems have been communicated.
HIMARS, systems mounted on a truck and which can simultaneously fire several precision-guided missiles, have been used in particular by Ukraine as part of its conflict against Russia.
Taiwanese Defense Minister Wellington Koo told the press the day before that Taipei was “determined to continuously strengthen its self-defense capabilities” and that it was necessary to make this known to the winner of the American presidential election, which let it be.
Over the past five decades, the United States has sold billions of dollars worth of military equipment and munitions to Taiwan, including F-16 fighter jets and warships.
Washington has long been Taipei’s most important ally and largest arms supplier, angering Beijing, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory.
The United States historically maintains a policy of “strategic ambiguity” regarding possible U.S. military intervention if Taiwan were attacked by China.
But Donald Trump, who claimed victory on Wednesday, suggested in interviews that the United States, Taiwan’s most important ally and largest arms supplier, would not commit to militarily defending the island in case of Chinese attack.
He stirred up trouble by suggesting that Taiwan “should pay” the United States for its defense, and also accused the island of “stealing” the United States’ semiconductor industry.
In recent years, China has stepped up its military pressure on the self-governing island of Taiwan to push Taipei to accept its sovereignty claims, which the island’s government rejects.
Beijing does not rule out using force to place the island under its control, and in this scenario, Taiwan would be largely overwhelmed in terms of manpower and firepower.
Taipei has allocated a record $19 billion to its defense budget in 2024, and next year’s budget is expected to reach a new peak.
