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“TAIWAN SELF-DEFENSE REQUIREMENTS” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the Senate section on pages S1613-S1614 on March 16, 2010.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
TAIWAN SELF-DEFENSE REQUIREMENTS
Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, Taiwan is a steadfast ally in a very turbulent region of the world. On January 29, the State Department approved a $6.4 billion arms package to Taiwan that includes 114 Patriot missiles, 60 Black Hawk helicopters, Harpoon antiship training missiles, and Osprey-class minehunter ships.
I am pleased that the administration is taking this important step toward fulfilling the United States' commitment to Taiwan under the Taiwan Relations Act, TRA, which requires us to make available to Taiwan such defense articles and defense services ``as may be necessary to enable Taiwan to maintain a sufficient self-defense capability.'' However, despite the billions of dollars worth of weapons involved in this sale, it represents little more than a half step in providing Taiwan the defensive arms that it needs--and that we are obligated by law to provide it--to protect itself against rapidly increasing air- and sea-based threats from China. What Taiwan has repeatedly requested--and what was not in the arms package--are new fighter aircraft.
Since 2006, the Taiwanese have made clear their desire to purchase 66 F-16 C/Ds to augment an air fleet that is bordering on obsolescence. On April 22, 2009, Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou reiterated Taiwan's commitment to request the F-16C/Ds from the Obama Administration. And, in a December 29, 2009, letter to Senate and House leaders, members of Taiwan's Parliament stated, ``Though economic and diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China's Communist Party are improving, we face a significant threat from the People's Liberation Army Air Force. Our military must be able to defend our airspace as a further deterioration in the air balance across the Strait will only encourage PRC aggression.''
On January 21, the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency, DIA, completed a report on the current condition of Taiwan's air force. This formal assessment was required under a provision that I authored in the fiscal year 2010 National Defense Authorization Act, NDAA, which received bipartisan support. The report's findings are grim.
The unclassified version of the report concludes that, although Taiwan has an inventory of almost 400 combat aircraft, ``far fewer of these are operationally capable.'' It states that Taiwan's 60 U.S.-made F-5 fighters have already reached the end of their operational service, that its 126 locally produced Indigenous Defense Fighter aircraft lack
``the capability for sustained sorties,'' and that its 56 French-made Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets ``require frequent, expensive maintenance'' while lacking required spare parts. Furthermore, the report found that although some of Taiwan's 146 F-16 A/Bs may receive improvements to enhance avionics and combat effectiveness, the ``extent of the upgrades, and timing and quantity of aircraft is currently unknown.''
In the past, what has kept Taiwan free and allowed its democracy and free enterprise system to flourish has been a qualitative technological advantage in military hardware over Chinese forces. In simple terms, it would have been too costly for Beijing to contemplate an attack on Taiwan. This in and of itself created a stabilizing effect that promoted dialogue and negotiations. Yet due to the massive, nontransparent increase in China's defense spending, the past 10 years have seen a dramatic erosion in this cornerstone of Taiwan's defense strategy. A gauge of how quickly this tide has turned can be found in the Department of Defense's Annual Report on the Military Power of the People's Republic of China. The 2002 version of this report concluded that Taiwan ``has enjoyed dominance of the airspace over the Taiwan Strait for many years.'' The DOD's 2009 Report now states this conclusion no longer holds true.
Taiwanese defense officials have also recognized this alarming trend, predicting that, in the coming decade, they will completely lose their qualitative edge. Beijing will have an advantage in both troops and arms. This imminent reality holds critical consequences for both our ally Taiwan and the United States. If China becomes emboldened, it might be tempted to try to take Taiwan through outright aggression or cow Taiwan into subservience through intimidation.
How would the U.S. react in the face of Chinese belligerence towards Taiwan? Would we deploy our ships and aircraft to ward off Chinese aggression? Would we decide to counter force with force? These are difficult and tough questions, and the soundest policy option is to ensure they never have to be answered. We know a Taiwan that is properly defended and equipped will raise the stakes for China, and that would serve as the best defense against belligerent acts.
Strategically, assisting Taiwan in maintaining a robust defense capability will help keep the Taiwan Strait stable. We should remember that, in 1996, Beijing rattled its Chinese saber and launched ballistic missiles off Taiwan's coast and initiated amphibious landing training exercises. This prompted President Clinton to dispatch two carrier battle groups as a show of strength. President Ma recently commented on the latest weapons sale by stating, ``The more confidence we have and the safer we feel, the more interactions we can have with mainland China. The new weapons will help us develop cross-strait ties and ensure Taiwan maintains a determined defense and effective deterrence.'' During the Reagan years, we knew this common-sense strategy as ``Peace Through Strength.''
The benefits of an F-16 sale to Taiwan are not limited to national security--this sale also stands to benefit the American economy during a difficult period. The F-16, one of the world's finest tactical aircraft, is proudly assembled in Fort Worth, TX. The overall production effort involves hundreds of suppliers and thousands of workers across the United States. The sale of 66 aircraft to Taiwan would be worth approximately $4.9 billion and guarantee U.S. jobs for years to come. The ripple effects of this sale through our economy would be significant, especially for workers in states where the recession has hit hard. This sale will also be a shot in the arm to America's defense industrial base, where constructing and equipping the F-16 means high-paying jobs for Americans.
The Obama administration has indicated that it intends to further review Taiwan's request for F-16s. Yet, the time for a decision regarding this sale draws near, and this review cannot be allowed to continue indefinitely. Taiwan needs these F-16 C/D aircraft now. What's more, the F-16 production line is approaching its end, after having manufactured these world-class aircraft for decades and having equipped 25 nations with more than 4,000 aircraft. If hard orders are not received for Taiwan's F-16s this year, the U.S. production line will likely be forced to start shutting down. Once the line begins closing, personnel will be shifted to other programs, inventory orders will be cancelled, and machine tools will be decommissioned. When the F-16 line eventually goes ``cold,'' it is not realistic to expect that it would be restarted. At the same time, through economic and diplomatic threats, China has effectively cut off all other countries from selling arms to Taiwan.
In the months leading up to the administration's recent arms sales announcement, the administration took great pains to telegraph to Beijing their intention that the sale would provide only defensive arms to Taiwan. Nevertheless, China has responded to the sale by threatening U.S. companies, cancelling high-level meetings with U.S. officials, and launching verbal assaults against our country. Beijing's blustering is clearly intended to intimidate the United States and dissuade us from selling new F-16s to Taiwan. This is unacceptable. The United States must not allow Beijing to dictate the terms of any future U.S. arms sales or other support for Taiwan.
President Ma and Taiwan parliamentarians have been clear and direct in their request for these aircraft. It is my hope that they will redouble their efforts here in Congress, as well as with the administration, to make the case and demonstrate the urgent need for the sale of these F-16C/Ds. This is a telling moment for the Obama administration. Our allies are watching carefully, and so are our potential adversaries. Without question, the path of least resistance for the administration would be to not move forward with the sale of F-
16s, under the guise of continued analysis of the proposal. Then, once the F-16 production line had shut down, the proposed sale would be a moot issue for the administration. However, that path would ultimately leave Taiwan--and U.S. interests in the region--dangerously exposed. The sale of these F-16s to Taiwan would send a powerful message that the U.S. will stand by our allies, both in the Taiwan Strait and in other parts of the world.
I urge the President to move forward expeditiously with the sale of F-16s to Taiwan. I hope he will do so, and I know that many of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle share this sentiment.
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