May 1-4, 2023, Council President Rupert Hammond-Chambers, Vice President Lotta Danielsson, and representatives from U.S. and international defense companies traveled to Taiwan for the Council’s first defense delegation since 2019. The head of the delegation was USMC LtGen (Ret.) Steven Rudder, who offered hugely valuable counsel and support to our group and to our hosts.

During the trip, the delegation met with members of the Taiwan defense community to discuss bilateral cooperation issues such as co-production and industrial cooperation. They also conducted site visits with Taiwan defense contractors and local manufacturers active in the defense supply chain. Among other activities, the delegation conducted a site visit at TiSpace (Taiwan Innovative Space) to tour their additive manufacturing facility and for a presentation and hands-on look at the company’s launch vehicles. The delegation met with defense experts and received a briefing at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research (INDSR), and also received a briefing from CyCraft. The delegation also conducted visits with the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, American Institute in Taiwan, and the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST).

2023 Defense Delegation – LtGen Rudder and MOEA Minister Wang

On May 3, the US-Taiwan Business Council partnered with the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) to host the Taiwan-U.S. Defense Industry Forum in Taipei. LtGen Rudder delivered the Keynote Address to the forum. During the event, panels discussed granular challenges of bilateral cooperation in the defense industry supply chain. The event also offered discussions on opportunities for cooperation and partnerships between U.S. and Taiwan defense companies, how Taiwan businesses should position themselves to demonstrate that they can be both capable and dependable partners, developments in Taiwan’s defense industry, opportunities for co-production, and how to integrate Taiwan’s industrial capabilities into the global defense supply chain. The US-Taiwan Business Council thanks TAITRA for the opportunity to co-host such a successful event.

2023 Defense Delegation – Panelists at the Taiwan-US Defense Industry Forum

On May 4, the delegation members were given the opportunity to connect with members of the Taiwan defense industry and with indigenous defense contractors during a networking event at the Taipei International Convention Center (TICC). We were happy to work with the Taiwan National Defense Industry Development Association (TW-DIDA), the Taiwan National Drone Industry Association, and GEOSAT Aerospace & Technology, Inc.on the Taiwan-US UAS Industry Matchmaking Conference.

Taiwan-US UAS Industry Matchmaking Conference