US help for Taiwan to access Nato’s Link 22 tactical data system could boost island’s status with bloc
- Advanced secure data linking capability would give Taiwanese forces interoperability with United States
- But analysts are concerned about the potential costs of the move, including the time needed for Taiwan’s military to adopt the system
Link 22 is a secure beyond-line-of-sight communication capability that interconnects different kinds of air, surface, subsurface, and ground-based tactical data systems by providing situational awareness across the battle space.
Operable even in inclement weather, Link 22 – built in the 2000s to replace the multilateral security alliance’s Link 11 – can also be used to exchange tactical data among the military units of participating partners.
A senior Taiwanese defence ministry official confirmed to lawmakers in May that the United States – a major Nato member – would help the self-ruled island to acquire the advanced data link and radio system.
Lee Shih-chiang, head of the ministry’s strategic planning department, told a meeting of the legislature on May 25 that Taiwanese tactical data systems were interoperable with the Link 22 system.
