US sends military trainers to Taiwan for first public naval training program

Taiwan and the United States have officially signed a two-year agreement for specialized naval training, marking a significant shift in the level of transparency surrounding their military cooperation.

The announcement, made by Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense, confirms that the US will send personnel to provide targeted training for Taiwan's navy, Caliber.Az reports citing Taipei Times.

This move is part of a broader pattern where the US has deployed military instructors and special operations teams in Taiwan, though these activities were previously kept under wraps. The latest agreement was signed by Taiwan's military delegation to the US on January 2, in collaboration with the American Institute in Taiwan.

The agreement outlines that the US government will send trainers to Taiwan, allocating a budget of NT$49,887,240 (approximately US$1.5 million) for the specialized program. Training will be conducted at the Zuoying naval base in Kaohsiung, which serves as the headquarters for Taiwan's Navy and Marine Corps. While the details remain scarce, it is expected that the program will focus on amphibious combat training, specifically involving Taiwan's amphibious naval fleet and marine corps.

This is the first time that a "specialized training program" with the US has been publicly confirmed, according to a source within the military, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The source noted that this shift from the US’s traditionally confidential approach to a semi-public stance may be an attempt to gauge political and public reactions.

Historically, the US and Taiwan have cooperated on military training, particularly in joint operations between Taiwan's amphibious naval forces and marine corps. However, this collaboration was interrupted after the severing of official US-Taiwan relations, resuming only in 2017 with smaller-scale exchanges.

In recent years, Taiwan’s marine corps has sent personnel to the US and Guam for training, while the US has sent senior instructors and small units to Taiwan to assist with combat training. Until now, these activities had been kept low-profile, with this latest agreement marking a clear departure from that practice.

By Tamilla Hasanova