Senate, House committees pass 2020 NDAA defense calling for boosting Taiwan's military

Taiwan News
Date: 2019/06/14
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Armed Services Committees of the U.S. House and Senate have now both passed drafts of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for 2020 which call for improving Taiwan's defense capabilities to counter China's increasing military muscle.

The Armed Services Committee of the U.S. House passed the NDAA for 2020 on Thursday (June 13). Although the content of the bill has not yet been published, Congressman Adam Smith, D-Wash., chair of the House Armed Services Committee, released a version of the bill on June 10, which mentions that the U.S. should strengthen its defense cooperation with Taiwan and continue to sell arms to the country.

According to a CNA report published on Thursday, the draft issued by the House's Armed Services Committee included a section for Taiwan titled "Implementation of Taiwan's National Defense Strategy." On the 40th anniversary of the Taiwan Relations Act, the committee recognized that the act and the Six Assurances are the cornerstone of U.S.-Taiwan relations, and agreed that the U.S. should strengthen its defense cooperation with Taiwan and support Taiwan's development of a capable, well-prepared, and modern defense forces in order to maintain adequate self-defense capabilities.

The draft bill requires the U.S. to promote exchanges to enhance Taiwan's security, including military training and exercises, and to promote exchanges between senior defense officials and military officers based on the Taiwan Travel Act.    [FULL  STORY]