AFP / AFX, WASHINGTON: A senior Pentagon official warned Taiwan it must invest in its own defenses against a growing threat from China if it expects the US to come to its aid in a crisis.
Edward Ross, a top official with the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, criticized Taiwan's political leaders for turning a 10 bln usd a special defense budget into a 'political football.'
Late last month Taiwan's cabinet approved a revised bill that proposes spending 10 bln usd or about 340 bln twd on military hardware, after the opposition blocked two previous packages running to twice as much.
In a speech in San Diego last night to the US-Taiwan Business Council, Ross said US government officials, members of Congress and business people are increasingly questioning Taiwan's commitment to its own defense.
'They ask us, 'if Taiwan is not willing to properly invest in its own self-defense, why should we, the US, provide for its self-defense,'' he said. 'It's a reasonable question.'
At a time when US troops are in harm's way in Iraq and Afghanistan, he said, 'an increasing number of Americans are asking hard questions about how much we are willing to sacrifice for the security and democracy of others.'
The US in 2001 approved the sale to Taiwan of eight diesel electric submarines, 12 P3 surveillance planes and advanced Patriot missile defense systems. But the special budget created to finance the acquisitions has failed to gain approval in the Taiwanese legislature.
Ross said as Taiwan's defense budgets have declined, China has sustained double digit increases in defense spending over the past decade.
Taiwan appears to have 'calculated US intervention heavily into their resource allocation equation and elected to reduce defense spending despite an ever prosperous and stable economy. And this short-change math does not work,' he said.
'You see, China is also doing the math and has accounted for the possibility of foreign intervention. Their conclusion: buy more submarines and anti-submarine cruise missiles.'
He said the US, for its part, is watching China's military modernization and the stalemate in Taiwan over defense spending — 'and we're doing our own math.'
'We do not live in a world of absolutes. And the time of reckoning is upon us,' he said.
'In the end, the US ability to contribute to Taiwan's defense in a crisis is going to be measured against Taiwan's ability to resist, defend and survive based on its own capabilities,' he said.
He said deterrence has been compromised by Taiwan's steadily declining defense budgets and the erosion of its defense capabilities at a time when Beijing is building up its forces in the Taiwan Strait.
The trends have resulted 'in a growing imbalance in critical areas such as missile and air defense and anti-submarine warfare,' he said.
Taiwan needs to build up reserves of critical munitions, and buy weapons systems to counter short term threats, Ross said.
'The great variables in this equation are time and capabilities,' he said. 'If you neglect one, you're in trouble. If you neglect both, you're in very deep trouble.'
'The US is only one variable in this equation. Taiwan must play its part by building and maintaining a viable defensive posture based on credible capabilities that demonstrate its 'intent' — while providing real capacity to resist and survive,' he said.
