The US wants Taiwan to be “strong and confident,” a senior Pentagon official said on Monday.

“It should contribute to our regional effort to maintain peace and security,” US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for East Asia Abraham Denmark said.

Denmark’s keynote speech to the 14th annual US-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference in Williamsburg, Virginia, was closed to the press, but the Taipei Times was later given access to the notes of several of those in attendance.

He referred twice to the US commitment to Taiwan’s defense.

“Taiwan needs to have an effective defense capability itself,” he said.

“We do have a ‘one China’ policy, the Three Communiques and the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA),” Denmark said.

He referred to the earlier arms sales and granting of export licenses to Taiwan by the administration of US President Barack Obama amounting to nearly US$14 billion.

Denmark talked about Washington’s obligations under the TRA and said: “Don’t focus on the sales aspect itself.”
He said that while arms sales were part of the US obligations, “we are constantly engaged to enhance abilities.”

Denmark said that the US wanted Taiwan to have a “credible, visible defense — including non-traditional and asymmetric capabilities.”

He mentioned a number of specific measures the nation could take, including the “hardening” of defense facilities.

It is important for Taiwan to have the right size of defense capability that is “mobile and surviving,” he said.

Denmark added that what mattered most was that the Taiwan military had “the right capabilities and the right training and the right motivation.”

Taiwan’s military needs to emphasize operational readiness and “see the necessity to replace old systems with new ones, and be ready to do so,” he said.

He referred to a recent report to the US Congress which said Taiwan remained the focus of China’s military effort and said it was a “challenge” to the US to enhance the
nation’s capabilities.

Denmark said the conference helped the US defense industry to focus on its role to help Taiwan maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

He repeated his earlier point about the necessity of Taiwan’s defense force being “mobile, survivable and difficult to destroy.”

Denmark said that while the US was committed to Taiwan’s defense, it was also essential for Taiwan to be determined to defend itself.