Admiral Samuel Paparo, commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, said during a hearing of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee on April 21 that Taiwan must pass its stalled special defense budget as soon as possible.
He emphasized that “Washington’s level of attention to Taiwan’s defense cannot exceed Taiwan’s own commitment to its defense,” adding the analogy: “If you let the chickens go hungry, you’ll end up with neither chickens nor eggs.”
Chinese threat and Taiwan’s self-defense
According to the Central News Agency (CNA) the U.S. Senate held a hearing on the deployment posture of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command on Tuesday. Paparo and other military officials attended, and many senators expressed concern over China’s military threat to Taiwan as well as Taiwan’s special defense budget.
Jeanne Shaheen, the ranking Democratic member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a senior member of the Armed Services Committee, asked about the importance of Taiwan passing the defense budget.
Paparo responded that “U.S. policy toward Taiwan has not changed. In the nearly 50 years since the implementation of the Taiwan Relations Act, U.S. arms sales to Taiwan have not exceeded normal levels.”
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Paparo also stated, “The United States can’t care more about Taiwan’s defense than Taiwan cares about it itself.” He further explained, “This is not a chicken-and-egg problem, because if you let the chickens go hungry, you’ll end up with neither chickens nor eggs.”
He added, “Therefore, it is crucial for Taiwan to fund its own defense.”
In addition, Republican Senator Tom Cotton asked whether a recent visit to China by Kuomintang figure Cheng Li-wen would affect the future direction of Taiwan’s defense spending. Paparo responded that “actions speak louder than words,” and that the progress of Taiwan’s special defense budget would demonstrate “how committed they are (to their own defense).”
When asked whether Taiwan has the willingness to defend itself and about its planning for potential military contingencies, Paparo said he has “great confidence” in the willingness, capability, and determination of Taiwan’s military-age population to defend their homeland.
Paparo noted that public opinion in Ukraine prior to the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war was relatively low, but the country’s overall societal response afterward was admirable.
In contrast, Taiwan’s current polling data is significantly higher than Ukraine’s at that time, which leads him to view Taiwan’s willingness to defend itself positively. He stated, “The Taiwanese military is working very hard and has made progress in developing operational concepts, which will guide them toward successfully deterring an invasion.”
Taiwan should speedily pass defense special budget
The 1.25 trillion New Taiwan dollar special defense budget proposed by the Lai Ching-te administration has been stalled in the Legislative Yuan. Opposition parties have each proposed their own versions of the budget, and there is still no consensus on whether items such as drones should be included under commercial procurement, separate from Foreign Military Sales (FMS) and Direct Commercial Sales (DCS).
The continued deadlock over the special defense budget has drawn significant concern from the United States. In February, 37 bipartisan members of the U.S. Congress sent a letter to Taiwan’s political leadership urging support for the defense budget. In addition, Senators Jeanne Shaheen, John Curtis, Thom Tillis, and Jacky Rosen visited Taiwan in late March to deliver a similar message.
On April 16, they jointly sent another letter to the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan, as well as three lawmakers, urging the budget’s swift passage. They emphasized that the goal is not only to procure U.S. equipment but also to accelerate the production of asymmetric defense capabilities domestically. The letter also stated that the U.S. would work to deliver key capabilities and expected several pending arms sales to be announced within weeks.
Furthermore,John J. Hamre, president and CEO of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), recently led a delegation to Taiwan, where discussions focused on defense cooperation, economic security, and regional developments.
During a meeting with President Lai Ching-te on April 21, Lai emphasized to the CSIS delegation that Taiwan is on the front line of the democratic defense line. Whether for Taiwan’s national security, Indo-Pacific peace and stability, or global democratic development, Taiwanese people believe that “peace comes through strength, and strength is the shield of peace.”
Goodman stated that although the defense budget has not yet been passed, he believes the Taiwanese people understand that self-defense is their own responsibility, and that stronger preparedness leads to stronger deterrence.
By Li Jingyao
