The combined arms battalion of the 542nd Brigade and the 333rd Brigade of the National Army may go to the United States on a "battalion-level" scale for exchanges in the second half of this year. Regarding the source of funds, the Ministry of National Defense replied that the relevant funds will be spent in accordance with the "Executive Yuan and its affiliated departments." "Key Points for Compilation and Examination of Cases of Official Sending of Personnel Abroad by Higher-Level Agencies"

(File photo)

[Reporter Zhong Lihua/Taipei Report] Liao Wanru, a legislator of the Kuomintang, recently submitted a written inquiry to the Executive Yuan, inquiring about the combined arms battalion of the 542nd Brigade and the 333rd Brigade of the National Army. The source of its funds. In response, the Ministry of National Defense replied that the relevant expenditures are handled in accordance with the "Key Points for Compilation and Examination of Cases by the Executive Yuan and its subordinate agencies sending personnel abroad for business purposes".

According to media reports, the Joint Arms Battalion of the 542nd Brigade and the 333rd Brigade of the Army may go to the United States on a "battalion-level" scale for exchanges in the second half of this year.

If the national army can use the joint battalion to go to the United States for relocation training, it will not only symbolize the deepening of military exchanges between the two sides, but also have significant benefits for strengthening the training intensity of the joint battalion, learning from the actual combat experience of the United States, and even increasing the commonality of operations between the ground forces of the two sides. .

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However, Liao Wanru pointed out that the funds required for the relocation of the joint battalion to the United States for training are considerable. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of National Defense should consult with the United States to transfer the relevant training funds from the free military aid in the US National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023, or the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act. The "Foreign Military Financing" (FMF) loan of the Fiscal Year Consolidated Appropriations Act is used to pay for the training, so that the training can be carried out regularly and regularly, and it can avoid the problem of crowding out training due to the limited budget of our country.

In response, the Ministry of National Defense responded in writing that in the face of threats to the values ​​of democracy and freedom posed by China’s provocative actions that constantly change the status quo, our government will actively strengthen its self-defense capabilities, and will strengthen the Taiwan-US security partnership on the existing basis, and work with All like-minded countries cooperate to curb China's attempt to change the status quo in the Taiwan Strait and maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific region.

The Ministry of National Defense explained that Taiwan-US military exchanges and cooperation are based on the "Defense and Security Conference (DRT)", "Senior Officer Steering Committee (GOSG)" and "Lu Wei, Blue Sea, Lan Tian ) meeting” and other joint discussions and developments, in order to learn from the US military’s training planning and combat practical experience, and enhance joint combat capabilities; other related expenditures are based on the “Key Points for Compilation and Examination of Cases by the Executive Yuan and its affiliated agencies at all levels sending personnel abroad for business purposes” stipulated.