A Forecast International blog about the arms trade, geopolitics, defense and security, and military spending.
China appears to be sleepwalking toward a conflict over Taiwan. In response, East Asia has begun to prepare for a war that could start as early as 2026. While some …
East Asian Rearmament – The Red Line Podcast Read More
With China continuing to ramp up coercion operations in the wake of U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan on August 2, the government of Taiwan’s president, Tsai Ing-wen, …
As China Looms Ever Larger, Taiwan Prepares Record Defense Budget for 2023 Read More
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has given rise to uncertainty about the broader security situation in Europe, and raises questions about U.S. defense investment as Washington weighs its response options. With …
Will Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine Change the U.S. Defense Budget Calculus? Read More Just a few weeks before the U.S. presidential election, the Trump administration has cleared yet another billion-plus-dollar Foreign Military Sales package for Taiwan. The latest FMS package involves three sales …
Taiwan Cleared for $1.8 Billion Worth of FMS Purchases Read More Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) plans to send teams of experts to Europe and the U.S. to consult with international defense industrial partners as the construction phase of the …
Taiwan Dispatching Teams to Europe, U.S. as Indigenous Submarine Program Readies Launch Read More
A Taiwanese request to the U.S. for an $8 billion government-to-government sale of 66 Lockheed Martin F-16V Block 70 jet fighters appears to have some momentum, as reports indicate the …
Proposed F-16V Sale to Taiwan Makes Headway Read More The U.S. State Department notified Congress via the Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) on July 8 of a pair of potential Foreign Military Sales to Taiwan worth a combined …
U.S. State Department OK’s $2.2 Billion in Potential Military Hardware Sales to Taiwan Read More The Taiwanese military is ready to forsake its previous ambition to acquire the F-35 Lightning II stealth combat aircraft in favor of a government-to-government contract for 66 F-16V Block 70 …
Giving Up the Ghost: Taiwan Seeks F-16V Procurement as F-35 Dream Abandoned Read More The Taiwanese Air Force took delivery on October 20 of the first of its upgraded F-16 jet fighters from state-owned aviation company Aerospace Industrial Development Corp (AIDC). The revamped F-16 …
Taiwan Takes Delivery of First Upgraded F-16V Read More
A long-planned upgrade for Taiwan’s two Dutch-built Hai Lung-class submarines will soon get underway after the project was given clearance by Netherlands-based RH Marine following a year-long evaluation into the …
Taiwanese Navy Submarine Upgrade Project Comes into View Read More