2010 US-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference

The US-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference 2010 was held October 3-5, 2010 in Cambridge, Maryland. This was the ninth annual event in a series of ongoing conferences addressing the future of U.S. defense cooperation with Taiwan, the defense procurement process, and Taiwan’s defense and national security needs.

Keynote speakers at the 2010 conference included Nien-dzu (Andrew) Yang, Deputy Minister (Policy) from Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense, Wallace “Chip” Gregson, Assistant Secretary for Asian & Pacific Security Affairs at the U.S. Department of Defense, and Beth M. McCormick, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Defense Trade & Regional Security, Bureau of Political-Military Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. US-Taiwan Business Council Chairman Dr. Paul Wolfowitz was the conference host.

Sessions at the US-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference featured a moderator and several speakers on the panel, and some sessions included additional commentators. Each speaker gave a short presentation on the session topic from his or her own viewpoint and expertise. Those presentations were then followed by a moderator-led discussion among the panelists, as well as a moderator-driven question and answer period with the attendees. This format offers the maximum amount of time for exchanges among the panelists, as well as between the panel and the audience, allowing the sessions to become a forum for substantial and valuable interaction and discussion.

There were three sub-sessions within Session IV. These sub-sessions included discussions focusing on each individual branch: Navy (Combat Capabilities & Trends), Army, and the Air Force (The Balance of Air Power).