2014 US-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference

The US-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference 2014 was held October 5-7, 2014 in Williamsburg, Virginia. This was the thirteenth 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.

This year, conference sessions considered Taiwan’s potential role in the U.S. strategic re-balance towards Asia, examined Taiwan’s defense and military plans for the next 5-10 years, and discussed the current status and potential new approaches to the arms sales process. We also examined ways to expand on current models for security cooperation, as well as assess Taiwan’s indigenous submarine programs.

Keynote speakers included senior representatives from Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense and from the U.S. government. US-Taiwan Business Council Chairman Dr. Paul Wolfowitz was the conference host.

Sessions at the US-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference feature a moderator and several speakers on the panel, and some sessions may include additional commentators. Each speaker gives a short presentation on the session topic from his or her own viewpoint and expertise. Those presentations are 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.