U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has announced a massive package of arms sales to Taiwan, totaling an estimated $11.15 billion worth of defense equipment that includes medium-range missiles, howitzers and drones.
The package, the largest single security assistance agreement in the island’s history, comes as Taipei faces unprecedented military and diplomatic coercion from Beijing.
The authorization marks the second significant arms deal of President Donald Trump’s second term, following a $330 million sustainment package in November. This latest tranche focuses heavily on precision strike capabilities, loitering munitions, and mobile artillery – technologies central to the “asymmetric warfare” strategy the United States has encouraged Taiwan to adopt to deter a potential cross-strait invasion.
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) listed the potential sales in a series of announcements, saying in each that the proposed sale “serves U.S. national, economic, and security interests by supporting the recipient’s continuing efforts to modernize its armed forces and to maintain a credible defensive capability.” The sales would also “help improve the security of the recipient and assist in maintaining political stability, military balance, and economic progress in the region,” DSCA said.
According to the DSCA, the potential sales include:
- HIMARS and ATACMS Strike Systems: 82 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), 420 Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS), and other strike weapons, valued at up to $4.05 billion.
- Self-Propelled Howitzers: 60 M109A7 systems valued at up to $4.03 billion.
- Autonomous Air Vehicles: Altius loitering munitions (often referred to as “suicide drones”) valued at up to $1.1 billion.
- Tactical Mission Network Software: Advanced military software and related equipment valued at up to $1.01 billion.
- Javelin Missiles: 1,050 Javelin anti-tank missiles valued at up to $375 million.
- TOW 2B Missiles: 1,545 Tube-launched, Optically tracked, Wireless-guided (TOW) missiles valued at up to $353 million.
- Helicopter Support: Spare and repair parts for AH-1W helicopters valued at up to $96 million.
- Harpoon Refurbishment: Refurbishment kits and support for Harpoon missiles valued at up to $91 million.
Taipei’s Commitment to ‘Peace through Strength’
Taiwanese officials expressed immediate gratitude for the announcement, framing the deal as a cornerstone of regional stability. Taiwan Presidential Office spokesperson Karen Kuo stated, “Our country will continue to promote defense reforms, strengthen whole-of-society defense resilience, demonstrate our determination to defend ourselves, and safeguard peace through strength.”
The procurement will be largely funded by a historic $40 billion special defense budget proposed by President Lai Ching-te. This supplemental funding, slated to run through 2033, reflects a broader mandate to increase defense spending to 3.3% of GDP next year, with a long-term target of 5% by 2030.
“The United States continues to assist Taiwan in maintaining sufficient self-defense capabilities and in rapidly building strong deterrent power and leveraging asymmetric warfare advantages, which form the foundation for maintaining regional peace and stability,” the Taiwan Defense Ministry added in a separate communique.
Beijing’s Response and Diplomatic Friction
The announcement drew a sharp and predictable rebuke from the People’s Republic of China. China’s Foreign Ministry said the movewould violate diplomatic agreements between China and the U.S., gravely harm China’s sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, and undermine regional stability.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun condemned the move during a press briefing in Beijing, alleging it “severely undermines peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.”
“By aiding ‘Taiwan independence’ with weapons, the U.S. side will only bring fire upon itself; using Taiwan to contain China is absolutely doomed to fail,” Guo Jiakun said. He further characterized the arms sale as a violation of the “one-China principle” and a move that risks turning Taiwan into a “powder keg.”
Despite the rhetoric, U.S. officials maintain that the sales are consistent with the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act, which legally mandates Washington to provide the island with the means for its own defense.
Deterrence Calculus
Geopolitical analysts suggest the timing and scale of the package reflect the Trump administration’s “preserving military overmatch” strategy. By supplying advanced munitions in such high volumes, Washington aims to raise the cost of any potential military action by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
Rupert Hammond-Chambers, president of the U.S.-Taiwan Business Council, highlighted the tactical significance of the specific platforms chosen. He noted that systems like HIMARS “could play an essential role in destroying an invading Chinese force,” responding directly to “the demand from Mr. Trump that partners and allies do more to secure their own defense.”
The package now enters a 30-day congressional review period. Given the broad bipartisan support for Taiwan in both the House and Senate, the deal is expected to proceed without significant opposition, further cementing the island’s role as a critical node in Indo-Pacific security.