China’s missiles, pointing at Taiwan, have been the basis of much military and political tension in the past. But and analysis of the 2013 Ballistic and Cruise Missile Threat, which contains contributions from key US intelligence agencies, shows mainly a cut-and-paste report, based on old reports, writes defense analyst Wendell Minnick for Defense News.Read More →
As the conflict about the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands heats up yet another time, it is useful to recognized the meaning of the signals Beijing is sending out. Military analyst Wendell Minnick picked up for Defense News some reading tips from Taiwanese Defense experts.Read More →
The latest nuclear test by North-Korea shows the rogue country is not going to be stopped, not even by its closest ally China, writes defense analyst Wendell Minnick in the Army Times.Read More →
Against international agreements Taiwan is developing 1,200 km surface-to-surface missiles, writes defense analyst Wendell Minnick in Defense News. Southern and Central China, including Shanghai, are within reach, and the development will add to the regional tensions.Read More →
The Pentagon has increased costs for Taiwan’s early warning radar (EWR), causing much uproar among the island’s legislators, writes defense analyst Wendell Minnick in Defense News.Read More →
After so many remarkable introductions of new Chinese weaponry, including two new stealth fighters and an aircraft carrier, defense analyst Wendell Minnick from Taiwan wonders in Defense News why so few of his US colleagues do get get China right.Read More →
Taiwan can take over cheap US main battle tanks, left over from the war in Iraq, but that has sparked off an old debate. Does Taiwan need tanks for its defense? Military analyst Wendell Minnick reports in Defense News. Read More →
Taiwan and the US Air Force closed a US$ 3.7bn deal on upgrading the island’s F-16 fleet after two years of negotiations. But the deal did not really improve the US-Taiwan relationship, writes Wendell Minnick in Defense News.Read More →
As a first sign Europe might be turning away from its weapon embargo against Taiwan by deploying three Eurocopter EC225 helicopters, sending a message to Washington, writes defense analyst Wendell Minnick in Defense News.Read More →
Rising costs of the upgrade of its fleet of F-16’s have caused tension between Taiwan and the US, as the angry Taiwanese decided to postpone the already long-delayed agreement, writes defense expert Wendell Minnick in Defense News. Read More →
Taiwan has announced cuts in its defense budget, making it tougher to upgrade its aging fleet of F-16’s, writes the Asia Sentinel. But defense analyst Wendell Minnick says the budget cuts are unlikely to influence the island’s security, or even the quality of its F-16’s.Read More →
Author Zhang Lijia visited Taiwan for the first time and was pleasantly surprised. One conclusion: democracy is not against the character of the Chinese, as leaders on the mainland sometimes suggest, she explains on her weblog.Read More →