Taiwan US special forces quietly training Taiwanese: Official

Saithan

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WASHINGTON-Agence France-Presse​

US special forces quietly training Taiwanese: Official

U.S. special operations forces have been quietly training Taiwanese troops for months, risking the ire of China, a Pentagon official said on Oct. 7.


A contingent of around 20 special operations and conventional forces has been conducting the training for less than a year, the official, who declined to be identified, told AFP, adding that some of the trainers rotate in and out.

The official largely confirmed a Wall Street Journal report which said the training has been going on for at least a year, amid China’s rising verbal threats against the island ally of the United States.

Taiwan’s Defense Ministry declined to comment on the report, but Pentagon spokesman John Supple said that generally speaking, U.S. support for Taiwan’s military is gauged on its defense needs.

"Our support for and defense relationship with Taiwan remains aligned against the current threat posed by the People’s Republic of China," Supple said in a statement.

"We urge Beijing to honor its commitment to the peaceful resolution of cross-Strait differences."

Taiwan’s Premier Su Tseng-chang said "a just cause always attracts much support" when asked to comment on the Wall Street Journal report on Oct. 8.

"We are making every effort to defend our national sovereignty and our people as well as maintaining regional peace. We are doing all we can and we appreciate like-minded countries working together," he said.


Taiwan media reported last November, citing Taiwan’s Naval Command, that U.S. troops had arrived there to train Taiwan marines and special forces in small-boat and amphibious operations.

But those reports were subsequently denied by U.S. and Taiwanese officials, who emphasized the two sides are only involved in bilateral military exchanges and cooperation.

The United States supplies weapons to Taiwan, including missiles for defense and fighter jets, amid Beijing’s threat to forcibly retake control of the island and reintegrate it with China.

The U.S. also maintains an ambiguous commitment to defend Taiwan, which Beijing considers a renegade province.
A video released last year and featured in Taiwan media showed U.S. troops taking part in an exercise on the island dubbed "Balance Tamper."

Chinese forces have stepped up their activities toward Taiwan in the past year, conducting sea assault exercises and flying large sorties of bombers and fighters close to Taiwan airspace.

Taiwan’s defense minister said on Oct. 6 that military tensions between the island and China are at their highest in four decades, after around 150 Chinese warplanes - a record number - made incursions into its air defense zone in recent days.


He warned that even "slight carelessness" or "miscalculation" could spark a crisis, and that Beijing would be in a position to launch a full-scale invasion in four years.

U.S. State Department Spokesman Ned Price called the Chinese activity "destabilizing" and "provocative."

"We strongly urge Beijing to cease its military, diplomatic and economic pressure and coercion against Taiwan," he said, calling U.S. commitment to the island "rock-solid".


"Let me just say this, we are going to take action now to try to prevent that day from ever coming to pass," national security adviser Jake Sullivan told the BBC when asked if Washington was prepared to take military actions to defend Taiwan.

 

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President confirms what no one has wanted to admit for decades: The United States is present in Taiwan​

For the first time in decades, Taiwan confirms that US troops are present on the island, training local soldiers.

23906494-hongkong-securitytaiwan.jpg

Taiwan's president, Tsai Ing-wen, has told CNN that the threat from China is rising.
Photo: Ann Wang / Ritzau Scanpix


Thursday, October 28, 2021, at 09.29


Tensions are rising in Taiwan, which with its location just 200 kilometers from the Chinese coast has become the center of disagreements between the United States and China.

As the first president in decades, Tsai Ing-wen confirms that the US military is present on the island, where they help train Taiwanese soldiers.

She confirms this in an interview with CNN , where she explains that "the threat from China is increasing every day".

The interview took place shortly after US President Joe Biden was told at a rally that the United States is ready to defend Taiwan should the recent rising tensions with China develop into a regular war.

"We are committed to that," the president said last week.

It goes directly against what the American line has been so far, and several political commentators have wondered whether this is a statement from the president.

Do not get too close​

In 2020, the U.S. military posted a video showing U.S. Army Special Forces training soldiers in Taiwan. The video was subsequently deleted. In November 2020, Taiwan's Ministry of Defense denied that US troops were training local soldiers on the island.

Tsai Ing-wen does not specify how many U.S. troops are in Taiwan at the moment, but explained that it is fewer than people think.

"We have a wide range of collaborations with the United States with the goal of increasing our defense capabilities."

Relations between Taiwan and China are extremely tense. Earlier this month, Taiwan's Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng described relations with China as "the worst in more than 40 years".

China considers Taiwan to be its own territory. Taiwan itself considers itself an independent country and has stressed that it will defend its freedoms and democracy at all times.

"We are an island with 23 million people who are trying hard every day to protect ourselves and our democracy so that people have the freedom they deserve," Tsai Ing-wen told CNN.

Already last week, China warned the United States against interfering in Taiwan's affairs.

Wang Wenbin, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said the United States "should act and speak cautiously about the Taiwan situation."

 

Zapper

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US has done a great job in training and transforming the Japs and Koreans

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SK SEALs

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Zapper

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FYI "japs" is a slur.
Ik but the point here is admiring their SF


Here's a few more. The Aussies posted these and were removed within an hour since the Japanese govt didn't want the pictures of their top tier SOF to be public

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