Washington [US], January 20: The US has expanded training for Taiwan's self-defense forces with the participation of the National Guard before May 2022.
The above information was published by Nikkei Asia on January 20, citing a source familiar with the situation. According to the newspaper, during a meeting with US Senator Tammy Duckworth at the end of May 2022, Taiwan's leader Tsai Ing-wen said that the US Department of Defense had actively planned cooperation between the US National Guard and the US National Guard. Taiwan defense.
Sources directly related to the cooperation said that the US National Guard had trained the Taiwanese side before Tsai's statement.
Each state in the US has its own Guard force, which is managed by the governor of the state. This force is often mobilized to respond to disasters and maintain public order. The National Guard may also be deployed by order of the federal government in wars abroad.
According to Nikkei Asia , in the past, US training for Taiwan's self-defense forces mainly involved the use of weapons systems sold to Taipei. In October 2021, The Wall Street Journal reported that a special operations unit and a contingent of US Marines had been training Taiwanese forces on the island for at least a year, but training was limited. .
Particularly for the National Guard, this force often trains foreign militaries with diverse contents such as infantry tactics, aircraft warfare, cyber defense, disaster response, counter-terrorism and counterterrorism. medical assistance.
National Guards of many states in the US are said to have trained Taiwan's self-defense forces, both in Taiwan and in the US. The expansion of training is said to strengthen deterrence against China and deepen cooperation between the US and Taiwan. The expansion of training also reflects US concerns about the possibility of a military emergency in Taiwan.
A Pentagon spokesman declined to comment on the training, but stressed its support and defense relationship with Taiwan in the face of the threat from China.
Researcher Jacob Stokes at the Center for a New American Security (USA) said that increased training, if confirmed, would be a big step, something that has been discussed in Washington for some time. Mr. Stokes speculated that the US National Guard's training for Taiwan could be focused on improving the ability to use the reserve force for greater impact, to support the mobilization plan.
Source: ThanhNien Newspaper
