Taiwan will extend its joint training program with U.S. forces from 2 years to 3 years and double the funding for the program, according to a listing on the Government e-Procurement System.

Honduras could be the first country since St. Lucia in 2007 to re-establish formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan after severing them. Honduras also re-established formal ties with Taiwan in 1990 after breaking them off in 1985, but severed them in 2021.

Sra Kacaw--who fronted many of the KMT's initatives targeting Indigenous communities, such as gutting the Council of Indigenous Peoples--facing corruption charges www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/...

In his 1947 speech, Chiang Kai-shek actually referenced Christmas and indirectly compares the 1947 Constitution to the birth of Jesus in their impact on inspiring freedom and personal dignity. Chiang Kai-shek’s wife, Soong Mei-ling, was a devout Methodist.

A friendly Christmas reminder from my little boys: Be sure to leave out some carrots for Santa’s reindeers alongside the cookies.

Saying happy holidays lets you be inclusive of all the holidays people celebrate this time of year. Some people celebrate Christmas, but for me, it’s the ROC Constitution Day.

Two Japan Air Self-Defense Force F-15s scrambled in response to a previously unknown type of aircraft today, sources close to the matter tell me. The aircraft is photographed below:

A police officer at Kaohsiung Main Station stops a man carrying a briefcase running through the station due to the recent attack in Taipei and a threat against Kaohsiung. Turns out the briefcase was full of Beyblades he was bringing to another person, and he was running because he was late.

Obviously these folks should be home with their families. The use of military personnel as props in domestic authoritarian theater is of a piece with the performative use of the U.S. military elsewhere by this administration. Reality TV commander in chief.

figure "too many too count" of why i'm mostly on bluesky. because taiwan's troops are not deployed for law enforcement purposes.

The Taiwan Army's 584th Armored Brigade conducted combat-readiness patrols to protect critical infrastructure in Hsinchu, northwestern Taiwan, on 12/23. This is the first time Taiwan's M1A2T Abrams main battle tanks have been deployed on these patrols.

Not sure if this is too niche, but this is actually what it's like to watch Monday Night Football as a navalist Niners fan:

In between news of a VLS-less frigate and the Trump-class battleship, Brock Purdy has not let me down

VLS count is radar superiority VLS count is range superiority VLS count is payload superiority VLS count is climb superiority VLS count is turn superiority VLS count turns your OODA loop into a flat circle VLS count is your flagship & your birthday cake ship So of course we’re doing guns

The 49ers have officially clinched a spot in the NFC playoffs.

Taiwan will purchase 60 more M109A7 self-propelled howitzers with its annual defense budget, sources tell Liberty Times. Taiwan made its first purchase of 60 M109A7s, which the U.S. notified Congress of on 12/18, through its US$40-billion special budget.

Hey is it good when the DNI repeats Russian talking points?

Now that I'm done with the first semester of my MA in security studies, can I add a Clausewitz quote to my email signature?

A U.S. planespotter photographed the first F-16C/D Block 70 for the Taiwan Air Force conducting taxiing tests at Lockheed Martin's facility in Greenville, South Carolina. The Ministry of National Defense anticipates deliveries beginning in 2026.

Three people, including the suspect, have been killed in an attack on the Taipei Metro. The 27-year-old suspect, injured at least nine people after throwing smoke grenades and stabbing people near Zhongshan and Taipei Main Stations in Taipei.

The Kaohsiung City Police Department and Railway Police Bureau are on heightened alert after a Threads post from a user claiming to be a supporter of the Taipei stabbing perpetrator threatened to attack Kaohsiung Main Station in southwestern Taiwan.

Graphic displayed by Taiwan’s opposition KMT and TPP as they prepare to impeach President Lai Ching-te and Premier Cho Jung-tai. The image shows Lai’s face photoshopped onto Yuan Shikai.

U.S. interventions in Latin America, constitutional crisis in Taiwan. We live in the 1980s, except there's no Chinese democratic movement, and there are dress sneakers.

U.S. foreign military sales to Taiwan are lawful conduct between two states. The article discusses the Three Communiqués, which ignore the Six Assurances, which specifically state there will be no set end date for arms sales.

Overall, this is very encouraging for Taiwan's defense. The first two arms sales under the 2nd Trump admin (aircraft parts, NASAMS sale that began under Biden) resembled Obama's first two FMS (there were only three in eight years), which were more focused on support, not improvement.

Amphibious defense grows stronger 🇹🇼 🇺🇸

Tonight, the DSCA and State Department notified Congress of eight proposed arms sales to Taiwan, totaling US$11 billion. This marks the second arms sale to Taiwan under the second Trump administration. Here is everything in the package:

This news is very Aladeen.

wrote this week about a topic there's surprisingly little coverage of in the United States even in think tanks focused on the Chinese military: the everyday lives of Chinese soldiers. foreignpolicy.com/2025/12/16/c...

Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense released an image of China's aircraft carrier FUJIAN (CV-18) transiting the Taiwan Strait on 12/16, showing no carrier-borne aircraft. Defense Minister Wellington Koo says it may be headed for the CSSC shipyards at Changxing Island, Shanghai.

This is one of the best pieces in the ongoing drone discourse. “Cheap and mass produced” drones will not, large amounts of long-range fires will. Please give it a read!

Cathay Financial Holding Co (國泰金控) yesterday steeply raised its economic growth forecast for this year from 4.5 percent to 7.4 percent, www.taipeitimes.com/News/biz/arc...

If Russia is struggling to invade Ukraine, wouldn't they want to do something drastic against a country they consider to be an easy opponent, e.g., Poland/the Baltics?

The ridiculous thing about the Republicans is that to them, everything they don’t like is communism and everyone they don’t like is communist. Affordable healthcare? Communism. Kamala Harris? Communist. Deporting someone fleeing a communist dictatorship? That’s fine, good, even.

NEW: One of the most significant accomplishments of the Trump Admin: Decimating the US's humanitarian aid. We went to S. Sudan to see the effects. Rubio says no one has died from the cuts. Spoiler: That's not true. @annamaria.bsky.social & Brett Murphy: www.propublica.org/article/usai...

At least 67 members of the Taiwan Army's Matsu Defense Command are involved in a money-laundering ring, and the commander, Lt. Gen. Liu Sheng-mo, has been reassigned. The commander of the Nangan Defense Battalion has been relieved of command. Matsu is just miles from China at its closest.

Biden admin initially sought to provide four MQ-9 Reaper UAVs to Taiwan as aid using PDA, Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo tells the Legislative Yuan. Koo says the plan failed due to disagreements on details, and reports that the Trump admin wanted to sell the drones instead are false.

Jimmy Lai, Hong Kong tycoon and democratic firebrand who stood up to China reut.rs/4oS2dvS

New Taipei Mayoral Poll Li Si-chuan (KMT): 47.1% Su Chiao-hui (DPP): 37.1% No response: 15.8% Su Chiao-hui (DPP): 47.3% Huang Kuo-chang (TPP): 33.4% No response: 19.3% Li Si-chuan (KMT): 39.1% Su Chiao-hui (DPP): 35.7% Huang Kuo-chang (TPP): 16.1% No response: 9.1% CNews / 11/9-12/2025 n=1200

Attack submarine ROCS Hai Kun (SS-711) suffered a total hydraulic failure during the sea acceptance test on 6/28, resulting in the submarine going without rudder control, source tells Mirror Media. The submarine was due to be delivered to the Taiwan Navy in November, and is behind schedule.

I’ve just heard the news at Brown University this evening. I’ve had the chance to meet and befriend many Brownies over the years, and I ask that you keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

Go Navy, Go Army, Beat China But Go Navy a little bit more

Please give this article a read. Guan Heng's work in collecting on-the-ground intel on these camps is crucial to understanding the human rights crisis in Xinjiang. He fled China with the footage, entering the U.S. by boat, and applied for asylum. The Trump administration now wants to deport him.

So, El Fasher looks like one of the worst single event atrocities to happen this century so far, but the evidence has come in such a trickle it seems to only now be getting verified

In 2020, Guan Heng embarked on a risky mission to prove the existence of Uyghur concentration camps. Now, his fate hangs in the balance as he awaits his immigration hearing on December 15th. If sent back to China, he would face drastic consequences. Read: open.substack.com/pub/hrichina...

Now, if history truly repeats itself, fighter pilots from Taiwan will be flying combat missions in Yemeni fighters

Me: Maybe the White House will decide to punt on doing ground strikes in Venezuela after all and keep finding other things to do like the tanker seizures or whatever. Pentagon: *moves EA-18Gs, KC-135s, HC-130Js, HH-60Ws, and F-35As into the SOUTCOM AOR* Me: Nevermind. They're going downtown.

It's not like INDOPACOM might need electronic warfare or combat search-and-rescue assets anyway