Jan 29, 2010

Obama announces $6B arms sale to Taiwan

04:00 PM
By JUNG YEON-JE

Confirming a report earlier this week, President Obama notified Congress today that he will sell $6 billion in weapons to Taiwan.

The sale, on hold since the end of the Bush administration, includes Black Hawk helicopters, Patriot missiles, mine-hunting ships, a submarine-design study and information technology. Congress, which approved the sale in October 2008, has 30 days to respond before the sale goes forward.

Today's announcement, posted by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, will anger Beijing, which considers the island part of the Chinese mainland. Taiwan governs itself, but it is not formally independent and is not a member of the United Nations. The United States is its biggest ally and weapons supplier.

The military- industry site Defense News wrote earlier this week that a "temporary break in U.S.-China military ties could follow the sale," which includes "60 UH-60M Black Hawk utility helicopters, a submarine design study, phase two of the C4I/Link 16 "Po Sheng" program, two Osprey-class mine-hunter patrol boats, and additional Patriot PAC-3 missile defense systems."

Here are some more details from the Defense News article:

Taiwan is facing about 1,400 short-range ballistic missiles from China and plans to deploy the new PAC-3s in the central and southern regions of Taiwan.

On submarines, Taiwan has been awaiting the release of congressional notifications since the Bush administration approved the sale of eight diesel submarines in 2001. A U.S. government source said they most likely would be smaller than conventional diesel attack submarines currently being deployed by China and other regional navies. Taiwan does not need deep submersibles due to the shallow waters of the Taiwan Strait, he said.

Taiwan has an urgent need for new utility helicopters to replace ageing UH-1H "Huey" helicopters procured during the 1980s. The requirement was highlighted during the recent Typhoon Morakot that killed more than 500 people in southern Taiwan in August.

As the Associated Press notes, the sale "satisfies parts of an $11 billion arms package originally pledged to Taiwan by former President George W. Bush in 2001,which has been provided in stages because of political and budgetary considerations in Taiwan and the United States."

As the Associated Press notes, the sale "satisfies parts of an $11 billion arms package originally pledged to Taiwan by former President George W. Bush in 2001,which has been provided in stages because of political and budgetary considerations in Taiwan and the United States."

http://content.usatoday.com/communities ... o-taiwan/1