[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 38 (Tuesday, March 16, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1613-S1614]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    TAIWAN SELF-DEFENSE REQUIREMENTS

  Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, Taiwan is a steadfast ally in a very 
turbulent region of the world. On January 29, the State Department 
approved a $6.4 billion arms package to Taiwan that includes 114 
Patriot missiles, 60 Black Hawk helicopters, Harpoon antiship training 
missiles, and Osprey-class minehunter ships.
  I am pleased that the administration is taking this important step 
toward fulfilling the United States' commitment to Taiwan under the 
Taiwan Relations Act, TRA, which requires us to make available to 
Taiwan such defense articles and defense services ``as may be necessary 
to enable Taiwan to maintain a sufficient self-defense capability.'' 
However, despite the billions of dollars worth of weapons involved in 
this sale, it represents little more than a half step in providing 
Taiwan the defensive arms that it needs--and that we are obligated by 
law to provide it--to protect itself against rapidly increasing air- 
and sea-based threats from China. What Taiwan has repeatedly 
requested--and what was not in the arms package--are new fighter 
aircraft.
  Since 2006, the Taiwanese have made clear their desire to purchase 66 
F-16 C/Ds to augment an air fleet that is bordering on obsolescence. On 
April 22, 2009, Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou reiterated Taiwan's 
commitment to request the F-16C/Ds from the Obama Administration. And, 
in a December 29, 2009, letter to Senate and House leaders, members of 
Taiwan's Parliament stated, ``Though economic and diplomatic relations 
with the People's Republic of China's Communist Party are improving, we 
face a significant threat from the People's Liberation Army Air Force. 
Our military must be able to defend our airspace as a further 
deterioration in the air balance across the Strait will only encourage 
PRC aggression.''
  On January 21, the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency, DIA, completed a 
report on the current condition of Taiwan's air force. This formal 
assessment was required under a provision that I authored in the fiscal 
year 2010 National Defense Authorization Act, NDAA, which received 
bipartisan support. The report's findings are grim.
  The unclassified version of the report concludes that, although 
Taiwan has an inventory of almost 400 combat aircraft, ``far fewer of 
these are operationally capable.'' It states that Taiwan's 60 U.S.-made 
F-5 fighters have already reached the end of their operational service, 
that its 126 locally produced Indigenous Defense Fighter aircraft lack 
``the capability for sustained sorties,'' and that its 56 French-made 
Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets ``require frequent, expensive maintenance'' 
while lacking required spare parts. Furthermore, the report found that 
although some of Taiwan's 146 F-16 A/Bs may receive improvements to 
enhance avionics and combat effectiveness, the ``extent of the 
upgrades, and timing and quantity of aircraft is currently unknown.''
  In the past, what has kept Taiwan free and allowed its democracy and 
free enterprise system to flourish has been a qualitative technological 
advantage in military hardware over Chinese forces. In simple terms, it 
would have been too costly for Beijing to contemplate an attack on 
Taiwan. This in and of itself created a stabilizing effect that 
promoted dialogue and negotiations. Yet due to the massive, 
nontransparent increase in China's defense spending, the past 10 years 
have seen a dramatic erosion in this cornerstone of Taiwan's defense 
strategy. A gauge of how quickly this tide has turned can be found in 
the Department of Defense's Annual Report on the Military Power of the 
People's Republic of China. The 2002 version of this report concluded 
that Taiwan ``has enjoyed dominance of the airspace over the Taiwan 
Strait for many years.'' The DOD's 2009 Report now states this 
conclusion no longer holds true.
  Taiwanese defense officials have also recognized this alarming trend, 
predicting that, in the coming decade, they will completely lose their 
qualitative edge. Beijing will have an advantage in both troops and 
arms. This imminent reality holds critical consequences for both our 
ally Taiwan and the United States. If China becomes emboldened, it 
might be tempted to try to take Taiwan through outright aggression or 
cow Taiwan into subservience through intimidation.
  How would the U.S. react in the face of Chinese belligerence towards 
Taiwan? Would we deploy our ships and aircraft to ward off Chinese 
aggression? Would we decide to counter force with force? These are 
difficult and tough questions, and the soundest policy option is to 
ensure they never have to be answered. We know a Taiwan that is 
properly defended and equipped will raise the stakes for China, and 
that would serve as the best defense against belligerent acts.
  Strategically, assisting Taiwan in maintaining a robust defense 
capability will help keep the Taiwan Strait stable. We should remember 
that, in 1996, Beijing rattled its Chinese saber and launched ballistic 
missiles off Taiwan's coast and initiated amphibious landing training 
exercises. This prompted President Clinton to dispatch two carrier 
battle groups as a show of strength. President Ma recently commented on 
the latest weapons sale by stating, ``The more confidence we have and 
the safer we feel, the more interactions we can have with mainland 
China. The new weapons will help us develop cross-strait ties and 
ensure Taiwan maintains a determined defense and effective 
deterrence.'' During the Reagan years, we knew this common-sense 
strategy as ``Peace Through Strength.''
  The benefits of an F-16 sale to Taiwan are not limited to national 
security--this sale also stands to benefit the American economy during 
a difficult period. The F-16, one of the world's finest tactical 
aircraft, is proudly assembled in Fort Worth, TX. The overall 
production effort involves hundreds of suppliers and thousands of 
workers across the United States. The

[[Page S1614]]

sale of 66 aircraft to Taiwan would be worth approximately $4.9 billion 
and guarantee U.S. jobs for years to come. The ripple effects of this 
sale through our economy would be significant, especially for workers 
in states where the recession has hit hard. This sale will also be a 
shot in the arm to America's defense industrial base, where 
constructing and equipping the F-16 means high-paying jobs for 
Americans.
  The Obama administration has indicated that it intends to further 
review Taiwan's request for F-16s. Yet, the time for a decision 
regarding this sale draws near, and this review cannot be allowed to 
continue indefinitely. Taiwan needs these F-16 C/D aircraft now. What's 
more, the F-16 production line is approaching its end, after having 
manufactured these world-class aircraft for decades and having equipped 
25 nations with more than 4,000 aircraft. If hard orders are not 
received for Taiwan's F-16s this year, the U.S. production line will 
likely be forced to start shutting down. Once the line begins closing, 
personnel will be shifted to other programs, inventory orders will be 
cancelled, and machine tools will be decommissioned. When the F-16 line 
eventually goes ``cold,'' it is not realistic to expect that it would 
be restarted. At the same time, through economic and diplomatic 
threats, China has effectively cut off all other countries from selling 
arms to Taiwan.
  In the months leading up to the administration's recent arms sales 
announcement, the administration took great pains to telegraph to 
Beijing their intention that the sale would provide only defensive arms 
to Taiwan. Nevertheless, China has responded to the sale by threatening 
U.S. companies, cancelling high-level meetings with U.S. officials, and 
launching verbal assaults against our country. Beijing's blustering is 
clearly intended to intimidate the United States and dissuade us from 
selling new F-16s to Taiwan. This is unacceptable. The United States 
must not allow Beijing to dictate the terms of any future U.S. arms 
sales or other support for Taiwan.
  President Ma and Taiwan parliamentarians have been clear and direct 
in their request for these aircraft. It is my hope that they will 
redouble their efforts here in Congress, as well as with the 
administration, to make the case and demonstrate the urgent need for 
the sale of these F-16C/Ds. This is a telling moment for the Obama 
administration. Our allies are watching carefully, and so are our 
potential adversaries. Without question, the path of least resistance 
for the administration would be to not move forward with the sale of F-
16s, under the guise of continued analysis of the proposal. Then, once 
the F-16 production line had shut down, the proposed sale would be a 
moot issue for the administration. However, that path would ultimately 
leave Taiwan--and U.S. interests in the region--dangerously exposed. 
The sale of these F-16s to Taiwan would send a powerful message that 
the U.S. will stand by our allies, both in the Taiwan Strait and in 
other parts of the world.
  I urge the President to move forward expeditiously with the sale of 
F-16s to Taiwan. I hope he will do so, and I know that many of my 
colleagues on both sides of the aisle share this sentiment.

                          ____________________