What 500-plus Taiwanese troops in US drills says about defence ties with Washington
Pentagon-linked media’s high-profile disclosure aims to highlight deepening defence ties, counter distrust of Trump policies, analysts say
Taiwan’s biggest-ever participation in American-led military exercises has been thrust into the open by Pentagon-linked media, widely seen as a deepening of Washington’s defence ties with Taipei despite the Trump administration’s transactional approach to policy.
Citing a senior official from the US National Guard Bureau, Stars and Stripes reported last Monday that more than 500 Taiwanese soldiers joined this year’s Northern Strike drills in the US state of Michigan.
The two-week exercise, which began on August 2, involved more than 7,500 troops from 36 American states and nine US partners, including Taiwan, according to the military newspaper partially funded by the Pentagon.
It was the largest contingent sent by Taiwan since its involvement in the Northern Strike drills began in 2021 and the first time that such participation figures have been revealed.
The admission marks a break from a long-standing policy of avoiding public discussion of Taiwan’s role in American exercises.