State Department Says It’s ‘Not Possible’ to Accelerate Many Taiwan Arms Sales

The State Department has told Congress that it can’t expedite many delayed shipments of weapons sold to Taiwan. That pessimistic outlook came in a report delivered to lawmakers in April.

“In many cases accelerated delivery is not possible due to lengthy material lead times, global supply chain issues, and production limits for legacy equipment within the defense industrial base,” states the report, the unclassified portion of which was recently obtained by National Review. It adds that while the Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency and other agencies are prioritizing Taiwan arms sales to the extent possible, “limited resources cause ongoing strain.”

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Jimmy Quinn

Jimmy Quinn is the former national security correspondent for National Review.

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The State Department has told Congress that it can’t expedite many delayed shipments of weapons sold to Taiwan. That pessimistic outlook came in a report delivered to lawmakers in April.

“In many cases accelerated delivery is not possible due to lengthy material lead times, global supply chain issues, and production limits for legacy equipment within the defense industrial base,” states the report, the unclassified portion of which was recently obtained by National Review. It adds that while the Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency and other agencies are prioritizing Taiwan arms sales to the extent possible, “limited resources cause ongoing strain.”