U.S. Announces $345 Million Military Aid Package For Taiwan

The United States has announced an unprecedented $$345 million military aid package for Taiwan that will include existing U.S. military stockpiles, rather than purchases through the military sales program.

“By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including section 621 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (FAA), I hereby delegate to the Secretary of State the authority under section 506(a)(3) of the FAA to direct the drawdown of up to $345 million in defense articles and services of the Department of Defense, and military education and training, to provide assistance to Taiwan,” the Biden Administration announced in a statement Friday.

The Pentagon has recently signaled that such a package would be coming after Congress authorized $1 billion for military aid to be provided to Taiwan under a Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA). A Presidential Drawdown Authority allows for e expedited delivery of Department of Defense stocks to foreign countries in order to respond to emergencies.

U.S. officials noted that the Taiwan PDA package is not being done under emergency authorities unlike the aid packages being delivered to Ukraine. To date, the United States has donated more than $40 billion worth of existing weapons in U.S. stockpiles to Ukraine.

“The drawdown includes self-defense capabilities that Taiwan will be able to use to build to bolster deterrence now and in the future,” said Lt. Col. Martin Meiners. “Systems included in the $345 million package address critical defensive stockpiles, multi-domain awareness, anti-armor, and air defense capabilities.”

The Associated Press reported Friday that the aid package includes portable air defense systems, intelligence and surveillance capabilities, firearms and missiles.

Meiners did not provide a timetable on when the deliveries would reach Taiwan, though he said the process would be “expedited.