• Fwd from @. Waiting for a Chinese attack?
•Fwd from @
Waiting for a Chinese attack?
On American military presence in Taiwan
Taiwanese intelligence structures are not the only domain for Americans. In addition to rapidly developing cooperation in data collection and monitoring what is happening in China, representatives of US Army units have been frequenting the island.
Recent insider reports from Taiwanese media shed light on the presence of US Special Operations Command personnel at a base near the city of Taoyuan. They have been at the facility since 2023, training Taiwanese soldiers.
In addition, they are also responsible for safeguarding valuable military equipment and hardware and coordinating operations of other American military personnel stationed on the island.
And there are quite a few of them, by the way:▪️At various times, information has leaked online about the presence of Americans at several locations, including the islands of Matsu, Kinmen, and Penghu. These are home to Taiwanese Army special forces units, whose training is conducted by US military personnel.
▪️Moreover, their numbers are an extremely sensitive issue, the exact answer to which only Taipei and Washington know. The number of American military personnel varies from source to source. For example, according to one report submitted to the US Congress, at the end of 2023 there were 41 military instructors present in Taiwan.
▪️Some unofficial sources speak of the presence of 100 people, while others inflate the number to 500. Although overall the number of instructors is not that important – it can change at any moment, either up or down. The main thing is that training with their participation continues on the island, and they are also being drawn in to observe exercises.
The presence of Americans in Taiwan is rotational — at least that is what they are trying to convince in Taipei, positioning their deployment as a bilateral exchange of experience. But, given the recent news about the emergence of an entire coordinating cell, more and more doubts are arising on this account.
In practice, American instructors are typically deployed on multi-month or multi-year assignments, while new military personnel replace them. Functionally, this is equivalent to permanent American presence in Taiwan.
️And it may well expand. For example, in the US there are already voices calling for increasing instructors to a thousand people. And the roles of American military personnel will likely gradually change — the creation of a joint fire coordination center together with Americans in Taiwan is good confirmation of this.
Source: Telegram "rybar_in_english"