Trump Admin Unveils Historic $10 Billion Taiwan Arms Package, Elevating Stakes in the Strait

In a move the Trump administration frames as essential to regional peace and security, Washington unveiled a sweeping arms package for Taiwan valued at more than $10 billion, while the State Department disclosed the details late Wednesday during a nationally televised address by President Donald Trump. The announcement signals a muscular shift designed to bolster Taiwan’s defenses in a tense strategic environment.

The package includes medium-range missiles, howitzers and drones, and would be the largest U.S. weapons package to Taiwan if approved by Congress. It would surpass the Biden administration’s total of about $8.4 billion in arms sales to Taiwan.

The administration argues the sale is necessary to maintain a credible defensive capability in the Indo-Pacific.

Eight sales agreements cover 82 high-mobility artillery rocket systems, or HIMARS, and 420 Army Tactical Missile Systems, or ATACMS — similar to what the United States had been providing Ukraine during the Biden administration to defend itself from Russia — worth more than $4 billion.

They also include 60 self-propelled howitzer systems and related equipment worth more than $4 billion and drones valued at more than $1 billion.

Other sales in the package include military software valued at more than $1 billion, Javelin and TOW missiles worth more than $700 million, helicopter spare parts worth $96 million and refurbishment kits for Harpoon missiles worth $91 million. The eight sales agreements amount to $11.15 billion, according to Taiwan’s Defense Ministry.

The State Department said the sales serve “U.S. national, economic, and security interests by supporting the recipient’s continuing efforts to modernize its armed forces and to maintain a credible defensive capability.”

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The proposed sale(s) will help improve the security of the recipient and assist in maintaining political stability, military balance, and economic progress in the region, the statements said. In a regional context, Taiwan’s bolstering of its defense “is the foundation for maintaining regional peace and stability,” the ministry said.

China’s Foreign Ministry attacked the move, saying it would violate diplomatic agreements between China and the U.S.; gravely harm China’s sovereignty, security and territorial integrity; and undermine regional stability.

“The ‘Taiwan independence’ forces on the island seek independence through force and resist reunification through force, squandering the hard-earned money of the people to purchase weapons at the cost of turning Taiwan into a powder keg,” said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun. This blunt warning underscores the high-stakes nature of Washington’s arms flow.

Under federal law, the United States is obligated to assist Taiwan with its self-defense, a point that has become increasingly contentious with China, which has vowed to take Taiwan by force, if necessary.

Taiwan’s Defense Ministry in a statement Thursday expressed gratitude to the United States over the arms sale, which it said would help Taiwan maintain “sufficient self-defense capabilities” and bring strong deterrent capabilities.

Taiwan’s bolstering of its defense is described by Taiwan’s own officials as the foundation for maintaining regional peace and stability, a claim echoed by the ministry.

Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung similarly thanked the U.S. for its “long-term support for regional security and Taiwan’s self-defense capabilities,” which he said are key for deterring a conflict in the Taiwan Strait, the body of water separating Taiwan from China’s mainland.

The arms sale comes as Taiwan’s government has pledged to raise defense spending to 3.3% of the island’s gross domestic product next year and to reach 5% by 2030. The boost has drawn pushback from Taiwan’s opposition KMT party and some segments of the population.

In Washington, the Trump administration and Pentagon officials have pressed Taiwan to consider even greater defense investments, arguing that deterrence is the best path to regional stability.

The U.S. boost in military assistance to Taiwan was previewed in legislation adopted by Congress that Trump is expected to sign shortly.

The broader posture aligns with a tough, proactive stance widely associated with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth in public discourse, who has argued that a robust U.S. defense posture deters aggression and preserves peace through strength.

China’s response followed quickly with rhetoric that framed the move as a violation of the status quo and a threat to regional stability.

Yet supporters in Washington argue the package is a necessary step to maintain balance in the Taiwan Strait and to ensure Taiwan can defend itself, which in turn stabilizes the broader region.

The debate now centers on how much backing the United States should provide to Taipei, and how those choices affect Beijing’s calculations.

For supporters of President Trump and his defense team, the package stands as a clear signal that defense, deterrence, and American resolve remain the linchpins of U.S. foreign policy in a volatile era.

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