Thinking back to the talking points we used at the State Department to denounce various nasty governments for using food as a weapon.

Taiwan Air Force T-5 jet trainer “1139” overran the runway at Chihhang Air Base in eastern Taiwan after a brake failure on 11/7. The aircraft suffered minor damage.

Notes from Central Taiwan: Willing to fight for the homeland – Michael Turton for Taipei Times

10 F-16C/D Block 70 fighters will complete assembly at the earliest by the end of the year and will start arriving in Taiwan by 2026, Taiwan's defense minister Wellington Koo tells the Legislative Yuan. 50 of the 66 ordered airframes are currently on the assembly line.

Andrew Cuomo's dad, Mario Cuomo, walked nearly as often as he struck out in the one season he played minor league baseball (54 BBs, 55 Ks), and posted a 105 OPS+.

Taiwan's military will spend US$313 million on 635 portable anti-drone devices. The Army will receive 242, the Navy 213, the Air Force 72, and the Information, Communications and Electronic Force Command 108.

Win44.8%OfTheVote Earle-Sears

The veil of military threat is so thin that they straight up listed two strategic locations no tourists would go to in their tourism ad-cum-annexation threat.

In 2025, strategic ambiguity is just incoherently saying things

"[Place] has [resource]" is a very medieval, reductionist, and anti-intellectual way of viewing foreign policy and war. Resources are also not always zero-sum, and war is probably the least cost-effective way to access the resources, especially in the post-1945 world.

"The US invaded Iraq for oil" is covering for the much worse reason of "Bush Jr. was not very good at foreign policy, and he and the IC did actually believe that invading Iraq to remove WMDs was a good thing to do."

The US did not take control of Iraqi oil. If it did, Iraq wouldn’t be flaring gas in 2025 and importing energy from Iran with frequently granted waivers to CAATSA. Nigerian oil is in south, not in Middle Belt and NE where communal violence historically highest.

Taiwan legislator Chen Hsueh-sheng (KMT-Lienchiang) says in a hearing aboit opening up Gaodeng Island for tourism that “the 20-ish soldiers on Gaodeng Island are very lonely and might turn gay if left alone for too long.” The island is less than 6 miles from China and serves as a military garrison.

notice how we're emulating the stuff that the PLA and Russia puts out with giant flaming hoops and so forth.

now that MLB is officially cancelled for 2026 let me introduce you to:

AGM-154C JSOW glide bomb deliveries to Taiwan will be further delayed to 2027 and 2028, a Ministry of National Defense report says. The delivery was originally due to be completed in 2023.

What's the best way to support furloughed government workers in DC? Food banks? Soup kitchens?

The Taiwan Air Force may cancel its upgrade program for its C-130Hs and purchase 10 new C-130Js instead, citing high costs, Air Force sources say. The upgrade program focuses on avionics, sensors, and engines.

what happened my queen… “The KMT is fundamentally a party that doesn’t see Taiwanese people as people. At its root, it is an evil, brutal regime.” -Chun Li-wun 30 years ago

German broadcaster DW interviewed the new chair of the KMT, Cheng Li-wen. Cheng says that the 3% of GDP defense budget is excessive, calls Putin a democratically elected leader, and that NATO is to blame for Russia's war against Ukraine. Here are some gems (?) from the interview:

The CM-11 is conceptually such a wild design

The 584th is one of two tank units that would be poised to counterattack against any Chinese amphibious landing in the north of Taiwan, threatening the capital of Taipei.

Photos of Taiwan’s 584th Armored “Dengbu” Brigade’s M1A2T Abrams commissioning ceremony. The 584th is the first unit in Taiwan to activate its Abrams tanks, where it replaces the CM-11 Brave Tiger.

NOW: The 3rd Combined Arms Battalion of the Taiwan Army 584th Armored “Dengbu” Brigade held the ceremony to commission the M1A2T Abrams main battle tanks in Hukou, northwestern Taiwan, on 10/30. President Lai Ching-te attended the ceremony, says that only power can bring about true peace.

Here is the English version of a graphic that Taiwan lawmaker Wang Ting-yu shared earlier this month. Taiwan's military seeks to have 80% staffing during peacetime.

The thing about those new luxury apartments in DC is that the vent fan just is not strong enough to make it not smell like scallion oil for a good 24-36 hours after you’re done making it.

The Taiwan Army 542nd Armored Brigade assumed defensive positions after several days on the offensive. Since losing air superiority, the force deployed special forces units to disrupt the operations of the 234th Mechanized Infantry Brigade.

Taiwan Army AH-1W, OH-58D, and UH-60M helicopters conducted routine live-fire exercises with Hydra rockets, M197 cannon, and M240B light machine guns in southern Taiwan on 10/28.

Taiwan may seek financial compensation or refunds for delays in the delivery of F-16C/D Block 70 fighters, Premier Cho Jung-tai says. The special budget for the fighters lapses at the end of this year.

Elements of the 🇹🇼Republic of China Army 542nd Armored Brigade advanced as far as Taixi, Yunlin, western Taiwan. The formation included new field ambulances, psychological warfare vehicles, and TOW-2B launch vehicles.

The Taiwan Army 542nd Armored Brigade simulated an attack with cover from the 33rd Chemical Group and AH-64E Apaches as a part of Exercise LU SHENG 1. The 3rd Combined Arms Battalion provided reconnaissance support with UAVs.

Close enough. Welcome back, Slobodan Milošević.

If you would please refer to the diagram:

Singapore’s air of arrogance/disregard for geopolitics and pretending to be “above/better than it all” is quite counterproductive. Singapore is prosperous because of global trade. If it thinks it’s above a war that will devastate global trade, it will be in for a very rude awakening.

The Taiwan Army 234th Mechanized Infantry "Great Wall" Brigade began its maneuver from various parts of western Taiwan on the night of 10/26. These tanks are located in Dalin County, Chiayi.

The Taiwan Army 542nd Armored "Rapid Thunder" Brigade maneuvered across long distances in northern Taiwan on the first night of Exercise LU SHENG 1. The 36th Chemical Group conducted supporting concealment operations during the day.

TWO separate crashes of aircraft off the NIMITZ within a period of 30 minutes. Woof.

The two brigades participating in Exercise LU SHENG 1 are likely to encounter each other in central Taiwan near Taichung or Changhua.

The Taiwan Army 542nd Armored "Rapid Thunder" Brigade, which will be facing the 234th, is on the move in Hsinchu County, northern Taiwan, with CM-11 tanks, CM-21 armored personnel carriers, and support vehicles.

Taiwan Army 234th Mechanized Infantry "Great Wall" Brigade convoy in Taichung, western Taiwan, consisting of a Light Tactical Wheeled Vehicle, CM-34 infantry fighting vehicles, CM-22 armored personnel carriers, and CM-33 command vehicles.

As a long-time resident in Taiwan, it's clear that Lai Ching-te's rhetoric of Taiwan hasn't substantially changed from Tsai Ing-wen. What has clearly changed is the CCP has up its tempo with its aggression against Taiwan. This is clear when analyzing the data. 1/ www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/a...

Not only have Lai Ching-te’s rhetoric not changed much from Tsai Ing-wen, the DPP has been increasingly moderate from the days of Peng Ming-min and Chen Shui-bian. In other words, the DPP has not been more radical, but China has become more predatory.

Lai Ching-te attended Taipei Pride in 2023:

These events happened on the same day in Taiwan And honestly? That’s how a democratic country should be.

The Taiwan Army opened Exercise LU SHENG 1 on 10/25, with 542nd Armored Brigade and 234th Mechanized Infantry Brigade participating. The exercise replaces three Army exercises and focuses on realism, small unit tactics, decentralized command, and joint operations.

Post by former President of Taiwan Tsai Ing-wen, who was also the first woman to hold the office, ahead of Taipei Pride.

It's incredible that: 1. Time magazine is publishing this despite having a good relationship with the DPP in general. 2. Defense Priorities analysts have now published two articles in the last two months blaming Taiwan for causing tensions with China.

Post by Taiwan’s president Lai Ching-te ahead of Taipei Pride. “A bright and free life. Making Taiwan a more tolerant and understanding country.”

Americans who are now questioning Taiwan should understand that it was your country that abandoned Taiwan in 1979, and the subsequent unwillingness to engage diplomatically and militarily has led to Taiwanese politicians courting Joe Rogan. Basically, Reagan, the Bushes, and Obama did this.