DefenceTalkTaiwan grounded its F16 fleet as a search was underway to locate a fighter jet that plunged into the sea, the air force said on Tuesday. The F-16V, one of Taiwan’s most advanced fighter jets, disappeared from radar screens around half an hour after taking off for a routine training flight from a base in […]https://www.defencetalk.com/taiwan-grounds-f-16-fighters-as-search-continues-for-downed-jet-77666/

DefenceTalkTaiwan’s parliament on Tuesday passed an extra spending bill of nearly $8.6 billion in its latest bid to boost defence capabilities against an increasingly bellicose China. The government proposed a five-year special defence budget of around TW$237.3 billion from 2022 as Chinese warplanes breached its air defence zone at unprecedented levels last year. Democratic Taiwan […]https://www.defencetalk.com/taiwan-passes-extra-8-6-bln-defence-budget-as-china-threat-grows-77660/

DefenceTalkNicaragua inked a deal on Friday switching diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to China in a political coup for Beijing as it seeks to isolate the democratic island it has vowed to one day seize. The announcement leaves Taiwan with just 14 diplomatic allies but comes as Taipei strengthens ties with multiple unofficial Western friends including […]https://www.defencetalk.com/nicaragua-switches-diplomatic-recognition-from-taiwan-to-china-77572/

DefenceTalkUS Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Saturday that recent extensive Chinese military operations near Taiwan resembled “rehearsals” and he reaffirmed Washington’s strong support for Taipei. President Joe Biden’s Pentagon chief said the United States remained committed to supporting “Taiwan’s ability to defend itself.” In a speech devoted largely to an array of challenges posed by […]https://www.defencetalk.com/pentagon-chief-says-china-ops-near-taiwan-resemble-rehearsals-77544/

DefenceTalkChinese warplanes made 159 incursions into Taiwan’s air defence zone in November according to AFP’s database, the second-highest month on record as Beijing continues to pile military pressure on the democratic island. Self-ruled Taiwan lives under the constant threat of invasion by China, which views the island as its own territory and has vowed to […]https://www.defencetalk.com/chinas-taiwan-jet-incursions-at-second-highest-level-in-november-77527/

DefenceTalkThe US military will reinforce deployments and bases directed at China and Russia, while maintaining forces in the Middle East adequate to deter Iran and jihadist groups, the Pentagon said Monday, referencing results of a review. The US Defense Department will be upgrading and expanding military facilities in Guam and Australia, underscoring its focus on […]https://www.defencetalk.com/pentagon-plans-stronger-us-posture-toward-china-russia-77519/

DefenceTalkThe United States would defend Taiwan if the island were attacked by China, President Joe Biden said Thursday, a declaration welcomed by the democratic island that risks fury from Beijing. Authoritarian China regards self-ruled Taiwan as its own territory and has vowed to one day seize the island, by force if needed. Beijing’s saber-rattling has […]

DefenceTalkChinese fighter jets crowding Taiwan’s radar screens are Beijing’s latest tool to ramp up pressure on the democratic island, sparking fears that one mistake could suddenly turn a festering cold conflict into an all-out war. Self-ruled Taiwan has lived under the threat of a Chinese invasion since the two sides split at the end of […]

DefenceTalkTaiwan’s military relations with Beijing have plunged to their lowest point in four decades, the island’s defence minister warned on Wednesday, following a string of record Chinese jet incursions into Taipei’s air defence zone. “For the military, the current situation is the most grim in over 40 years since I’ve joined the service,” Chiu Kuo-cheng […]

DefenceTalkTaiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen warned of “catastrophic consequences” if the island were to fall to China and vowed to “do whatever it takes” to guard against threats in an article published on Tuesday. Taiwan lives under the constant threat of invasion by China, which views the self-ruled democratic island as its territory to be re-taken […]