US defense authorities are advising Taiwan to purchase 100 units of its Harpoon missile system. That came in a media report from Taiwan’s United Daily News on Sunday morning.
The report says that purchasing all 100 missiles would exceed the Taiwanese navy’s budget for such acquisitions. Initially, the navy requested the legislature’s approval to purchase 32 missiles, with an option to procure an additional 68.
However, the report says that the United States “strongly advises” Taiwan to purchase all 100 missiles at once, forcing the navy to submit a new proposal to the legislature for NT$86.6 billion (US$3.1 billion) to buy the weapons.
In response, Taiwan’s navy says that it carefully assesses threats and communicates with the other military branches before making such purchases. It says that the missiles are versatile weapons that meet Taiwan’s needs and are compatible with the country's current defense strategy. The navy is calling on the public to give their support for the purchase.