“Peace depends on national defence, and national defence depends on the whole population,” she added…reports Asian Lite News
The United States Department of State has approved the potential sale of Volcano anti-tank mine-laying systems to Taiwan for an estimated $180 million, Pentagon confirmed.
Northrop Grumman and Oshkosh Corporation are the prime contractors for the possible sale, according to a Reuters report.
Taiwan’s defence ministry said in a statement that the sale would take effect in about a month and that the system would help boost the island’s “asymmetric warfare” capacity to make its forces more agile, it was reported.
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“The Chinese Communist Party’s frequent military activities near Taiwan have posted severe military threats to us,” the ministry said, adding that continuous US military sales are the “cornerstone of maintaining regional stability and peace.”
Meanwhile, amid growing Chinese aggression, Taiwan has decided to extend mandatory military service for male citizens from four months to one year starting in 2024, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen announced on Tuesday, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Terming it an “extremely difficult decision,” Tsai Ing-wen emphasised that peace depends on national defence and national defence is dependent on the people of the country. She stated that the conscript pay will be increased to the minimum wage. Tsai Ing-wen announced that training will be intensified and expanded to involve instruction on the use of Javelin antitank missiles and drones. “This was an extremely difficult decision,” The Wall Street Journal quoted Tsai Ing-wen as saying.
“Peace depends on national defence, and national defence depends on the whole population,” she added.
Taiwanese Defence Ministry said that six Chinese aircraft and ships were detected around Taiwan. It further stated that Taiwan’s armed forces monitored the situation and tasked the navy vessels, and land-based missiles to respond to these activities of China.
Taiwanese Defence Ministry tweeted, “6 PLA aircraft and 3 PLAN vessels around Taiwan were detected in our surrounding region by 6 a.m.(UTC+8) today. R.O.C. Armed Forces have monitored the situation and tasked CAP aircraft, Navy vessels, and land-based missile systems to respond these activities.”
On Monday, Taiwan Defence Ministry said that 71 Chinese air force planes and seven ships were spotted around Taiwan with 47 military aircraft detected to have crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait.
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