Over 60% U.S. arms sales to Taiwan are traditional

WASHINGTON (TVBS News) — Over 60% of U.S. military sales owed to Taiwan consists of traditional capabilities, with F-16 fighter jets and M1 tanks accounting for over half of the total amount, according to data compiled by the Washington D.C.-based Cato Institute on Monday (Nov. 6).

Using data from the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) and the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the Cato Institute found the total U.S. arms sales backlog to Taiwan totaled NT＄617.2 billion.

The institute broke down the U.S. arms sales backlog into three main categories: conventional, asymmetric, and munition capabilities, making up 63.2%, 22%, and 14.8% of the total backlog respectively.

Uncompleted deliveries of traditional equipment amount to around NT＄390 billion, or 63.2% of the share of total backlog.

Meanwhile, the delayed asymmetric capabilities total about NT＄135.9 billion, representing 22% of the overall arms sales, while munition accounts for approximately NT＄91.3 billion, 14.8%.

The research institute noted that the backlog, dominated by traditional arms, consumes a large part of Taiwan's limited defense resources, despite the U.S. government has not officially released a detailed breakdown of the weapons sold to Taiwan.