WASHINGTON -- The U.S. has expanded training provided to the military of Taiwan, sources familiar with the situation have told Nikkei.
The National Guard, a state-based American mlitary force, began training the Taiwanese military some time before spring 2022.
Washington aims to expand the scope of training for Taiwan's military to enhance deterrence against China and deepen the cooperation with the island territory, as National Guard drills for Ukrainian forces contributed to Ukraine's defense against the invasion by the Russian military.
Each U.S. state carries a National Guard, under control of the governor in normal times. The Guard is often mobilized during disasters or to maintain public order. During a war overseas, it can be activated for federal duty and deployed to engage in battle or provide logistical support. It was mobilized in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.
When Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen hosted U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth in late May 2022, Tsai said the U.S. Department of Defense was "proactively planning cooperation between the U.S. National Guard and Taiwan's defense forces."
Sources directly involved in U.S.-Taiwan defense cooperation say the Guard's training began before Tsai's comment. Multiple Guards have trained Taipei's military in Taiwan and the U.S. The Guards working with the Taiwan military appear to include the unit of the American state of Hawaii.
"We don't have a comment on specific operations, engagements or training, but I would highlight that our support for, and defense relationship with, Taiwan remains aligned against the current threat posed by the People's Republic of China," a Pentagon spokesperson told Nikkei. "Our commitment to Taiwan is rock-solid and contributes to the maintenance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and within the region."
The expansion of training reflects increasing U.S. concerns about potential military emergencies in Taiwan.
John Kirby, the National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, told Nikkei last week in an interview: "We continue to believe that there's no reason for tensions over Taiwan to devolve into conflict. No reason. Because neither Japan nor the United States has changed our posture."
China has increased military pressure since then-Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in August.
The Guard trains militaries of more than 80 countries, mainly through the State Partnership Program (SPP). Its wide-ranging training, whose details vary for different countries, can include operation of infantry tactics, operation of aircraft, cyberdefense, disaster response, terrorism countermeasures and medical support.
While a single National Guard typically is charged to conduct training with a single country, the training for Taiwan is "different than the SPP since Taiwan is working with multiple states," a source said. "With the SPP, most countries are only working with one specific state. Taiwan has more training options than the SPP."
In the past, U.S. training of Taiwan's military often involved the use of weapons systems and platforms sold to Taipei.
The Wall Street Journal reported in October 2021 that a U.S. special operation unit and a contingent of Marines were training the Taiwanese military in Taiwan for at least a year, but the areas of training appear to have been limited.
"Increased training through a partnership between Taiwan's military and the U.S. National Guard is, if confirmed, a significant step and one that has been talked about in Washington for a while," said Jacob Stokes, a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security. "U.S. National Guard training would likely be focused on improving Taiwan's ability to leverage its reserve forces to greater effect in support of a whole-of-society military mobilization plan."
The Guard has played a key role in bolstering Ukrainian defense capabilities. The U.S. launched Joint Multinational Training Group-Ukraine after Russia unilaterally annexed Crimea, a part of Ukraine, in 2014. National Guard units were dispatched in rotation to a training facility in the western Ukrainian region of Lviv.
U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Joseph Hilbert, who oversees the training of the Ukrainian forces, told reporters in May 2022 that 23,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been trained over about seven years under the program. Hilbert said training by the National Guard members has contributed to preventing the Russian military's advance.
"I think [the U.S. investment in the Ukrainian forces] has ... you just see how it's paid off," he said.
