USTBC President Follow-up Comments Examining Data on Taiwan Arms Sales

September 20, 2024

US-Taiwan Business Council Green Logo

Press Note:
USTBC President Offers Follow-up Comments Examining Data on Taiwan Arms Sales

(Arlington, Virginia, September 20, 2024)

On September 17, the US-Taiwan Business Council issued a press release about the proposed Foreign Military Sale (FMS) of return, repair, and reshipment of spare parts and related equipment to Taiwan. Council President Rupert Hammond-Chambers today offered these follow-up comments:

Since 2017, the United States is supposed to be in a period of growing seriousness about the threat to Taiwan. The government rhetoric certainly fits that mounting concern, but how about the numbers?

Here are the gross arms sales values for successive administrations since 1993:

Clinton (January 20, 1993-January 20, 2001) US$8.702 billion (2 terms)
Bush (January 20, 2001-January 20, 2009) US$15.614 billion (2 terms)
Obama (January 20, 2009-January 20, 2017) US$13.962 billion (2 terms)
Trump (January 20, 2017-January 20, 2021) US$18.278 billion (1 term)
Biden (January 20, 2021-Present) US$5.709 billion (1 term)

 

Additionally, for President Biden’s administration the dollar amount of security assistance provided has fallen each year since 2022.

2021 US$0.75 billion (1 notification)
This program would mostly have been processed by the Trump Administration.
2022 US$2.14 billion (10 notifications)
These sales reflect the first that the Biden Administration would have greenlit and processed.
2023 US$1.86 billion (5 notifications)
2024 US$0.96 billion (6 notifications)

 

Over the next 12-18 months, Taiwan’s ‘backlog’ of weapons — comprising so much of the well-publicized US$20 billion in ordered weapons — will be delivered. The amount of remaining backlog is already falling rapidly.

Then what? Arms sales and their dollar figures are not the only metric that we use to measure U.S. support for Taiwan’s defense, but they are an important one and can show the strength of that support.

As the numbers note, and as USTBC’s analysis has consistently stated, U.S. support for Taiwan’s material force modernization has been waning since 2021. It now sits at its lowest point since 2001, bar the Obama Administration’s 4+ year arms sales freeze from 2011-2015, and it is continuing to fall.

It is unclear why the Biden Administration is steadily reducing the value of arms sales to Taiwan.

Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) and Foreign Military Financing (FMF) are important new factors in material support, but they should be adding to the flow and not substituting for it.

Since 2001, there has been only one reason that administrations, specifically the Bush and Obama administrations, have manipulated arms sales to Taiwan; consideration of China’s response has impacted the timing, type, and volume of weapons sold to Taiwan. These administrations took the view that if material support for Taiwan was curbed, this would encourage China to soften or change aspects of its behavior. That never happened.

Additional Data:

For more details on Taiwan arms sales, please visit our dedicated defense website at www.ustaiwandefense.com. The post “Taiwan Arms Sales Notified to Congress 1990-2024” contains charts showing a summary of arms sales data by year, along with a link to the raw data compiled by the Council from DSCA and other sources.

Related Media

September 22, 2021 Press Releases

USTBC Comments on Taiwan’s Application to Join the CPTPP Trade Deal

Press Release: The US-Taiwan Business Council Comments on Taiwan’s Application to Join the CPTPP Trade Deal (Arlington, Virginia, September 22, 2021) The US-Taiwan Business Council (USTBC) today welcomed the news that Taiwan has formally applied to become a member of the Comprehensive & Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Taiwan’s strengths in technology, investment, and […]

December 1, 2006 Press Releases

Archived Press Releases – 2005-2006

Archived press releases are available for download as PDF files.   December 13, 2006  —  Senator Lisa Murkowski Joins the US-Taiwan Business Council as Honorary Co-Chairman November 14, 2006  —  US-Taiwan Business Council Supports Taiwan’s Finalizing of Investment Regulations for Chipmaking in China August 17, 2006  —  Senior U.S. and Taiwan Defense Officials to Deliver […]

September 25, 2018 Press Releases

USTBC Comments on Congressional Notification for U.S. Arms Sales to Taiwan

Press Release: September 24, 2018 U.S. Arms Sale to Taiwan (Arlington, Virginia, September 25, 2018) The US-Taiwan Business Council today welcomed the decision by the U.S. Department of State to announce its approval of a possible Foreign Military Sales Order (FMSO) to Taiwan for an estimated value of US$330 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency […]

July 10, 2020 Press Releases

USTBC Comments on Repair & Recertification of PAC-3 Missiles to Taiwan

Press Release: The US-Taiwan Business Council Comments on the Proposed Sale of Repair & Recertification of Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) Missiles to Taiwan (Arlington, Virginia, July 10, 2020) The US-Taiwan Business Council today welcomed the announcement of a possible Foreign Military Sale of Repair and Recertification of Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) Missiles to Taiwan. The […]

December 1, 2004 Press Releases

Archived Press Releases – 2003-2004

Archived press releases are available for download as PDF files.   November 30, 2004  —  US-Taiwan Business Council Announces Change of Venue for Taiwan + China Semiconductor Industry Outlook 2004 Conference November 4, 2004  —  Impact of Rising China-Taiwan Political Tensions on Semiconductor Industry and Technology Supply Chain to be Featured at US-Taiwan Business Council […]