Skip to player
Skip to main content
Skip to footer
Search
Connect
Watch fullscreen
Like
Comments
Bookmark
Share
Add to Playlist
Report
U.S. and Taiwan Strengthen Defense Ties Through the PIPIR Initiative
TaiwanPlus News
Follow
10/24/2024
Taiwan's vice defense minister says the country may join a new U.S.-led initiative to allow some Indo-Pacific countries to manufacture weapons together.
Category
🗞
News
Transcript
Display full video transcript
00:00
When it comes to making weapons, the U.S. is a global leader.
00:08
Everything from artillery shells to warships, its weapon systems are some of the best in
00:12
the world.
00:13
Part of the reason why has been Washington's continued spending on military technology.
00:18
But some observers say that times are changing.
00:21
If citizens in other countries look at how much America spends in defense, it's an extraordinarily
00:27
high number.
00:28
But if you look at it from the U.S. perspective and the challenge that the U.S. military has
00:32
in all the obligations it has around the world, the U.S. is constrained.
00:39
Wars in Ukraine and in the Middle East, as well as soaring global demand for U.S. weapons,
00:44
is making it difficult for the U.S. defense industry to keep up.
00:48
With new threats in the Indo-Pacific emerging, the U.S. is looking for help.
00:53
Just a Navy yard in Philadelphia used to build dozens of warships back in World War
00:58
II, and it was a symbol of how strong the U.S. defense space was.
01:02
Faced with threats from China, it's now looking at countries like Taiwan to help co-produce
01:07
some of the world's most crucial weapons.
01:10
At the U.S.-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference, Taiwan's defense ministry told Taiwan Plus
01:15
that the U.S. has invited Taiwan to be part of a brand new initiative that could bring
01:21
the two sides closer to producing critical weapon systems.
01:50
The vice minister was talking about a new production plan called PIPER, which stands
01:55
for Partnership on Indo-Pacific Industrial Resilience.
01:59
Preliminary plans show it aims to link up defense supply chains across 13 Asian countries.
02:04
The goal is to pull together resources to minimize costs in producing things like missiles,
02:09
fighter jets and drones with other countries.
02:12
For Taiwan, this could be game-changing, as it is often excluded from the international
02:16
community due to threats and pressure from China.
02:20
To understand what Taiwan will be able to do under PIPER, we met with Kelly Greco, a
02:24
senior fellow with the Stimson Center who focuses on U.S. grand strategy.
02:30
Defense officials at this U.S.-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference talked about the PIPER
02:34
initiative.
02:35
What role can Taiwan play in that initiative?
02:38
There's a real opportunity for Taiwan to seize an advantage with the drone revolution and
02:44
producing its own drones for its own defense, but being able to do so in large numbers and
02:49
that it can scale up rapidly because it would eliminate the need logistically to have to
02:54
import all these things.
02:56
Kelly says that Taiwan's robust drone industry could be key to providing the best possible
03:01
defense strategy as Taiwan faces the threat of invasion from China.
03:06
The U.S. and Taiwan don't have official ties, but Washington provides Taiwan with almost
03:10
all of its military equipment.
03:12
And many believe smaller, more portable systems like drones are the way to go.
03:19
While PIPER is still new and no concrete agreements have been made, Taiwan's leading semiconductor
03:24
industry could work with U.S. and Taiwanese defense contractors in a joint effort, as
03:29
these specialized chips are needed to make advanced systems.
03:34
And so the co-production might also be that maybe the United States is providing some
03:38
parts, components that it makes, and then Taiwan assembles them.
03:42
Or it could be the opposite, that Taiwan is providing some components, like semiconductors
03:46
for example, that the United States is using on other weapon systems.
03:51
Taiwan already has plans to create what it calls a drone fleet, tens of thousands of
03:55
these unmanned systems that could defend the country.
03:58
It hopes to build these weapons as quickly as possible.
04:01
With help from the U.S. and other allies, the PIPER initiative aims to show that there
04:05
is indeed strength in numbers.
04:08
Andy Hsu and Jaime O'Connor in Washington, D.C. for Taiwan Plus.
Recommended
2:07
|
Up next
Taiwan Plans Multi-Billion Dollar Weapons Purchase from U.S.
TaiwanPlus News
2/18/2025
0:50
U.S. Defense Secretary Reiterates Commitment to Taiwan's Defense
TaiwanPlus News
12/10/2024
0:48
Taiwan's Defense Ministry: U.S. Arms Sale To Boost Joint Operations
TaiwanPlus News
12/23/2024
0:42
U.S. Bill Aims To Simplify Taiwan’s Arms Purchases
TaiwanPlus News
5/22/2025
4:29
Taiwan Raises Defense Budget as China Steps Up Threat - TaiwanPlus News
TaiwanPlus News
10/18/2022
3:30
Taiwan's NASAMS Purchase Aimed at Boosting Air Defense
TaiwanPlus News
11/4/2024
5:33
Tracking Down Taiwan's US$20B Backlog of U.S. Weapons
TaiwanPlus News
10/21/2024
0:27
U.S. Earmarks US$300M in Military Support for Taiwan
TaiwanPlus News
12/12/2024
3:05
Taiwan Flexes Its Military Muscles With Air Defense Systems - TaiwanPlus News
TaiwanPlus News
10/18/2022
1:07
U.S. to boost Taiwan arms sales amid rising China tensions
AWANI
5/30/2025
2:59
Taiwan's 'Immediate Combat Readiness' Drills Tackle Gray-Zone Threats
TaiwanPlus News
3/17/2025
0:33
Taiwan Military To Send Civil Defense Delegations to U.S., Europe
TaiwanPlus News
5/20/2025
0:41
Taiwan Welcomes Waltz's Statement on Expediting Arms Deliveries
TaiwanPlus News
1/17/2025
0:28
USTBC: Taiwan May Propose Ambitious Arms Purchase Plan Under Trump
TaiwanPlus News
12/23/2024
2:32
Taiwan Conducts Combined Arms Exercises as U.S. Weapons Trickle In
TaiwanPlus News
12/6/2024
3:26
Taiwan Prepares for Possible Surge in U.S. Weapons Sales
TaiwanPlus News
2/12/2025
0:36
Washington Think Tank Calls on Taipei To Boost Military Spending
TaiwanPlus News
4/11/2025
0:38
China calls on US to 'stop arming Taiwan' after tank delivery
AFP English
12/16/2024
3:43
Taiwan Aims To Boost Mass Production of Military Drones
TaiwanPlus News
4/15/2025
3:40
Taiwan Reacts to U.S. Election Results
TaiwanPlus News
11/7/2024
3:07
Analysis: Taiwan's Submarines and Asymmetric Defense
TaiwanPlus News
4/25/2025
2:35
Taiwan Looks to Develop Unmanned Vessels, Minesweepers
TaiwanPlus News
1/15/2025
1:58
President Lai Attends Taiwan Civil Defense Training Amid Threats from China
TaiwanPlus News
11/25/2024
1:41
Taiwan Carries Out Air Defense Drill Ahead of President's Pacific Trip
TaiwanPlus News
11/28/2024
2:21
U.S. Warns China Can Blockade Taiwan - TaiwanPlus News
TaiwanPlus News
10/18/2022