Spanberger Backs Bill to Track & Speed Up U.S. Arms Transfers to Taiwan, Indo-Pacific Allies

Legislation Would Require a Full Accounting of Defense Articles Sent to Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Australia, & New Zealand

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Representative Abigail Spanberger — a Member of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee — is backing legislation to make sure U.S. defense equipment sold to Taiwan and other Indo-Pacific allies is properly tracked and efficiently delivered. Spanberger is the first U.S. House Democrat to back the bill.

Supply chain challenges have contributed to significant delays in the shipment of defense articles to Taiwan. In response, Spanberger cosponsored the now-bipartisan Arms Exports Delivery Solutions Act — which would reaffirm the commitment of the United States to our allies in the region, increase transparency regarding ongoing efforts to uphold America’s security agreements, and identify solutions to fix delivery time lags. The bill would help Congress better understand delays, gain a full sense of the defense article transfers that are behind, and ultimately take further steps to speed up the process. The legislation is led by U.S. Representatives Young Kim (R-CA-39) and Michael McCaul (R-TX-10).

“As a former CIA case officer, I know that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is not backing down in its influence campaigns, espionage operations, and military construction projects in the Indo Pacific. In the face of this aggression, the United States needs to make sure defensive weapons systems are being delivered to our allies in the region — including Taiwan. But without a full accounting of these articles and the contributing factors to their shipment delays, we are not doing all we can to protect our security partners and deter the CCP,” said Spanberger. “I’m proud to be the first Democrat to cosponsor this bill, because defending the people of Taiwan should not be a partisan issue. The United States of America’s long-term national security depends on the readiness and engagement of our partners around the world — and this legislation would help improve our responsiveness to the threats at hand.”

Specifically, the Arms Exports Delivery Solutions Act requires a report from the U.S. Secretary of Defense and U.S. Secretary of State on:

• The list of approved transfer of defense articles to Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand;
• The estimated start and end dates of delivery for approved and incomplete transfer items;
• Any changes in delivery dates with explanations for the delays, options for expediting the deliveries, and authorities and powers Congress can use to expedite the deliveries;
• A description of ongoing interagency efforts to support operational capability of delivered systems; and,
• A separate description of actions the State Department is taking to expedite deliveries to Taiwan.

Click here to read the full bill text.

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