Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said Wednesday that the island received its first batch of US-made High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), which it first ordered in 2020.
The HIMARS is a truck-mounted mobile rocket launch system that can fire a variety of munitions, including the Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS), which Taiwan has purchased. The ATACMS have a range of about 186 miles.
The US approval of a sale to Taiwan for HIMARS and ATACMS in 2020 was significant since it marked the first time the US offered weapons that could reach mainland China. The sale also included AGM-84H cruise missiles, which have a range of 168 miles and can be fired by Taiwan’s F-16 fighter jets.
Taiwan ordered 11 of the HIMARS systems in 2020 and ordered another 18 in 2022. The island’s Defense Ministry said the first 11 have arrived, and Taiwanese troops are reportedly undergoing training to use them. The US has deployed troops to Taiwan for training in recent years, including on the outer islands of Kinmen, which are just a few miles off mainland China’s coast.
Taiwanese troops were recently in the US training on HIMARS at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. Taiwan’s Central News Agency reported that at least 17 soldiers from Taiwan completed training on the HIMARS in August, and Fort Sill’s Facebook page shared a photo of the Taiwanese troops.
The US has continued to increase military support for Taiwan despite constant warnings from China that the island is the “first red line” in US-China relations that must not be crossed.
The US has always sold weapons to Taiwan since Washington severed diplomatic relations with Taipei in 1979 as part of a normalization deal with China. Last year, the US started providing US-funded military aid, marking a significant escalation in US support for the island. In September, President Biden approved a $567 million arms package for Taiwan using the Presidential Drawdown Authority, which allows him to ship weapons straight from US military stockpiles.
With GPS denial the HIMARS system has become a less effective boondoggle funneling money to the MIC.
1. In 2022, the launchers were valued at nearly $170,000, increasing the total price to $4.3 million per model
It is truly the capitalistic way, isn’t it?…!
Profits over Peace and keep the MIC fully funded and well oiled.
Capitalism and greed are the real evil on this planet.
Communism didn't work out so well in the USSR and Red China-tens of millions murdered;nations impoverished. The desire to accumulate capital for a rainy day or to improve oneself is quite good.
The Capitalists did that to other nations, Cuba and more than 60 years of sanctions comes to mind and all of it because they replaced Batista with Castro, they did nothing against the mighty USA next door. The same is true of Venezuela, Nicaragua, Chile, Iran and other nations all across the globe. Capitalism does not work, that is why there are Communists and Socialists and labor unions. Think about it. Russia and China are doing well, the people like their governments and leadership they have. What is your problem with that, in the USA black people had to fight for their human rights, we had a bloody Civil Rights movement, and plenty of leaders were assassinated like JFK, MLK and Malcolm X, not to forget the genocide of the American Indians. Maybe you are not old enough to know. Look at the poverty in capitalistic South American nations and the people on the US/Mexican border, it is the result of failed capitalism and why our shrinking working middle class and poverty and homelessness is increasing by the day. Open your eyes and mind.
Millions of Americans don't make enough to pay rent and put food on the table, or pay the medical bills, they are impoverished and homeless. But you don't know that, you wear blinders.
The Taiwanese want to Fight 'till the last Taiwanese? …Wow! …Let me do the math. …Good for us. …Go ahead. With Love… …No. That's not a message from me. My spirit picked it up from the Ether. It was Lindsey Graham.
A nuke would take out the entire island. Not that it would happen, but food for thought.
There are maniacs in both political parties in the U.S. that understand nothing, except the good food, good women, good booze from the MIC. Until it all ends.
A nuke can also take the entire Beijing.
I'm sure you support China invading and annexing Taiwan too.
Then you have the audacity to call us warmongers for supporting the bullied. Unbelievable.
And I haven't forgotten you swearing North Korea was not in Russia to take part in the war in Ukraine.
Hope you are working on the excuses.
You are the bullies and you need victims so you create them. And then you scream Putin did it, Kim did it. If you mind your own business no one bothers you, no nation has threatened the USA, but the USA LEAVES A TRAIL of failed nations due to American regime changes behind all over the globe, add the nations being destabilized with sanctions imposed by vile US presidents, Cuba and Nicaragua and Venezuela come to mind, what did they do to the USA or their neighbors? Why do you bully other nations, why can't you leave them alone? Why do you fund some 800 military bases all over the globe? I say you, because you start and support the aggressions around the world. And then you scream, look what Putin did to me, he is bad.
Normal Russian propagandist response.
That is all you know?
Russia has competent government, they don’t need to tell lies to their people, they won the propaganda war with their people with good and active government and what they accomplished.
Putin and his people lifted Russia up and they DID MAKE RUSSIA GREAT AGAIN. That is what you can’t accept and deal with. Russia is a confident great nation again. And guess what: “Putin and his people DID it. “
NATO troops are involved in Ukraine, so, what is your beef? Why can't Koreans side with Russia? What is your problem, does the USA have rights no other nation has? What arrogance of the ruling American elite.
China is not threatening Taiwan, deliberate allegations by American war mongers are lies, evil people want more wars.
They should have gone to Ukraine.
They are done with Ukraine, Taiwan is scheduled to be next.
Democracy is always welcome!
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/726c4765447165d951111cbb91e9bfeb00c4b002fa7533bf419d9251e44d89f2.png
The people will regret it, not the war profiteers who do rob the people, they are greedy, dehumanized, mad human animals.
The current Warmonger in Chief seems determined to build his legacy until the very end. Not having been satisfied with destroying Ukraine, fostering genocide in Gaza and the West Bank, he wants to add Taiwan and, if possible, Iran.
He reminds me of the lines from "Alice's Restaurant"
"Shrink, I want to kill. I mean, I wanna, I wanna kill. Kill. I wanna, I wanna see, I wanna see blood and gore and guts and veins in my teeth. Eat dead burnt bodies. I mean kill, Kill, KILL, KILL." And I started jumpin up and down yelling, "KILL, KILL, " and he started jumpin up and down with me and we was both jumping up and down yelling, "KILL, KILL." And the sergeant came over, pinned a medal on me, sent me down the hall, said, "You're our boy."
Add Germany to your list. This will be the third time the German economy is being totally wiped out this time with economic warfare. The German industry is the war booty and is already being moved to the USA.
They will find out the hard way, what it means to be allied with the USA, it is suicidal.
The Biden people could not destabilize Russia and do a regime change, because Russia is self supporting, but they succeeded in Germany.
They blew up the LG pipeline to deindustrialize and destroy the energy dependent German economy and with it the EU. VW can't produce in Germany anymore some 500 000 employees will lose their jobs, and the remaining employees will get a 10% pay cut and lose all benefits. The BASF the chemical giant was the first to be cut down.
They undermined the government first, there was a copy of a Rand Corporation report in the internet for some hours before it disappeared again, how to use the Green Party to take over the German government, it disappeared immediately and was declared a forgery. It had the Rand letterhead and looked real. They organized to make it look like they self-destruct their own economy. Corruption is more plausible.
Now I believe it was a copy of a real Rand document someone leaked. It was about regime change dealing with an advanced industrial nation, how to wage economic war fare against allies.
Japan's economy never fully recovered after their crisis. And all the traitors in NATO governments are not a coincident, Scholz must have known about the Biden intentions and that would explain why his government did not even demand a valid, public investigation of the sabotage, there is treason in the air.
It is the old dilemma:
Does stockpiling weapons make you a less attractive target and thus safer?
Or by making you a larger threat does it make you more likely to be attacked and thus less safe?