US Special Forces Discreetly Train Taiwanese Forces
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As the United States claims China is "posing threats in the region," it has been secretly conducting military drills alongside Taiwanese military forces.
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US Marines conducting amphibious assault exercise during Talisman Sabre 19 in Bowen, Australia in 2019 (US Navy)
The United States has been training Taiwanese military forces, said a Wall Street Journal report. According to the WSJ report, the training has been going on for at least a year.
A Pentagon official largely confirmed the report later by saying the US special operations forces have been quietly training Taiwanese troops for months.
Over 20 special operations and conventional forces have been conducting the training for less than a year, the official, who asked not to be identified, told Agence France-Presse. The US forces have been training several small units of the Taiwanese ground forces and that the Marines have been conducting small-boat training with local maritime forces.
The Taiwanese Ministry of Defense did not comment on the report, while its US counterpart said, through a spokesman, that US support for the Taiwanese military is "gauged on its defense needs."
The US and Taiwan have been citing "Chinese threats," for said 'defense needs,' while Washington is Taiwan's primary arms supplier. The US also sent warships across the Taiwan Strait on multiple occasions, which has been the main contributor to escalating tensions with China.
Beijing sees the US sending warships across the strait as 'provocative,' condemning and opposing such moves that lead to the destabilization of the region. China perceives the situation as a threat to peace and stability.
In November, Taiwan media cited the Taiwanese Naval Command that the US troops had arrived in Taiwan, which China considers to be one of its provinces, to train Taiwan marines and special forces in small-boat and amphibious operations.
US and Taiwanese officials denied those threats. They stressed that the two sides were only involved in "bilateral military exchanges and cooperation."
As the United States is claiming China is a threat to the region, it is supplying Taiwan with a wide range of weapons, from missile systems to fighter jets.
