Pentagon to Place Liaison Officers Inside Taiwan's Defense Ministry

A senior Taiwanese military official disclosed that the United States will assign liaison officers from the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy and the Institute for Defense Analyses to the Ministry of National Defense, under a NT$470 million program running to 2028. These representatives will work on policy alignment, combat capability assessments, and will participate in strategic planning, including advice during Han Kuang exercises and major weapons procurement reviews.

The arrangement expands beyond one outlet presence of U.S. instructors and AIT staff, moving U.S. involvement from operational training to direct engagement with Taiwan's defense decision-making. The initiative reflects ongoing legislative efforts such as the Taiwan Enhanced Resilience Act to institutionalize security cooperation. It also raises the need for stricter protocols on classified information sharing and cybersecurity. Parallel regional developments include the Philippines confronting a Chinese research vessel near Batanes and China advancing runway construction on Antelope Reef in the Paracel Islands.