Taiwan scrambles to sign US arms deals before deadline amid defence budget gridlock

Taiwan’s defence ministry has received a US letter of offer and acceptance (LOA) for 82 Himars rocket launchers, according to officials, who said the deal must be signed by March 26 as other pending arms contracts near expiry.Speaking before a legislative session on Tuesday, Wellington Koo Li-hsiung, the island’s defence minister, said the Himars, or High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, agreement was one of five US arms procurement deals awaiting legislative authorisation.Koo noted that the LOAs for M109A7 self-propelled howitzers, Tow-2B anti-tank missiles and Javelin missiles would expire on Sunday, while the Himars contract must be signed by March 26.He said Taiwan had already received four of the five LOAs. The fifth document was for an anti-armour unmanned aerial system supplied by US drone maker Altius.The agreements are tied to the government’s proposed NT$1.25 trillion (US$40 billion) special budget aimed at strengthening Taiwan’s defence resilience and asymmetric warfare capabilities.The proposal remains stalled in the opposition-controlled legislature, delaying authorisation for the defence ministry to sign the contracts.