TAIPEI: Taiwanese soldiers have commenced training on the newly arrived M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), as reported by the official Central News Agency. The 58th Artillery Command of the 10th Army Corps, situated in Taichung, is at the forefront of this training initiative, although the exact number of soldiers involved remains undisclosed.
According to Anadolu Agency, the United States military has been actively training Taiwanese soldiers since 2021, with plans to deploy the HIMARS in the western regions of Taiwan. In a related development, Taiwan’s President, William Lai Ching-te, attended a keel-laying ceremony for a new light frigate prototype at Kaohsiung shipyard. This frigate, co-produced with a US firm, is designed to enhance Taiwan’s air-defense capabilities.
The military developments come amid increasing tensions across the Taiwan Strait, evidenced by 22 incidents involving unmanned aerial vehicles between April of last year and May of this year. The growing defense collabor
ation between Taipei and Washington has raised concerns in Beijing, which continues to assert its claim over Taiwan as a ‘breakaway province’.
China has criticized the US arms support to Taiwan, arguing that it does not address the cross-Straits military imbalance. This follows the Biden administration’s recent approval of a $1.98 billion arms sale to Taiwan, which includes a surface-to-air missile system. Additionally, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry reported detecting 44 Chinese military aircraft, six naval vessels, and one official ship around the island on Monday. Among these, 37 aircraft crossed the median line into Taiwan’s air defense identification zones.