Taiwan racing to arm itself as US reliability wanes
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- Taiwan plans to expand its anti‑ship missile stockpile to over 1,800 units by early 2029.
- Taiwan will acquire 400 U.S.-made Harpoon cruise missiles, with deliveries slated between 2026 and March 2029.
- Taiwan will mass‑produce roughly 1,000 domestic Hsiung Feng II/III missiles for mobile, ground‑based launchers.
- Taiwan will launch a unified Littoral Combat Command in July to coordinate missile firepower and drones.
- U.S. paused a $14 billion arms package to Taiwan, citing the need to retain weapons for the Iran war, potentially affecting Patriot PAC‑3, NASAMS, TOW and Javelin sales.
Why it matters: Taiwan gains a sizable sea‑denial capability that could deter a Chinese invasion, while the U.S. pause on arms sales may limit Taiwan’s access to advanced air‑defense systems, increasing reliance on missiles.
