Press Release:
The US-Taiwan Business Council Comments on the Proposed Foreign Military Sale of F-16 Munitions to Taiwan

(Arlington, Virginia, March 2, 2023)

The US-Taiwan Business Council today welcomed the announcement of a possible Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to Taiwan, supplying F-16 munitions and related equipment and support at an estimated total cost of US$619 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) delivered the required certification notifying Congress of the proposed Taiwan arms sale on March 1, 2023.

The published Congressional Notification (transmittal number 23-09) is for 100 AGM-88B High-Speed Anti-Radiation Missiles (HARM), 23 HARM training missiles, 200 AIM-120C-8 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM), 4 AIM-120C-8 AMRAAM Guidance Sections, and 26 LAU-129 multi-purpose launchers. Also included are LAU-118A missile launchers with Aircraft Launcher Interface Computer (ALIC), missile containers, control sections and containers, training missiles, support and equipment, spare parts, consumables and accessories, and other related elements of technical, logistics, and program support.

Council President Rupert Hammond-Chambers commented on today’s sale, “The US-Taiwan Business Council welcomes the latest development in security assistance for Taiwan’s military. Providing munitions for Taiwan’s expanding F-16 fleet will assist greatly in fortifying air defenses and providing additional teeth to deter grey zone activities in Taiwan’s airspace.”

Hammond-Chambers added, “While regularizing arms sales is essential, USTBC has pointed out on numerous occasions that munitions and sustainment of legacy systems will not be enough to provide a full defense of the island. The absence of a broader plan to assist in modernizing Taiwan’s armed forces will, over time, open up new vulnerabilities in Taiwan’s defenses that the Chinese Communist Party will seek to exploit. Taiwan faces a range of threats to its sovereignty that the U.S. and its allies and partners must address clearly.”

“The current narrow approach is not enough, as it will create significant financial and military challenges in the future. Force modernization is an ongoing year-on-year effort; it cannot be pushed into the indefinite future without serious evolving damage to Taiwan’s national defense.”

Source: See the DSCA website at https://www.dsca.mil/press-media/major-arms-sales

Additional Data:

For more details on Taiwan arms sales, please visit our dedicated defense website at www.ustaiwandefense.com. The post “Taiwan Arms Sales Notified to Congress 1990-2023” contains charts showing a summary of arms sales data by year, along with a link to the raw data compiled by the Council from DSCA and other sources.