Taiwan’s air force training at the US Luke Air Force Base will be extended to 2019. That’s the word from Minister of Defense Kao Kuang-chi on Thursday at the Legislature.
Kao said the air force training was originally scheduled to end in 2017 but has been extended two years. Taiwan’s air force has been training at the US air force base in Arizona for over 10 years. Taiwan is the only country that can send its air force there to train and put its national flag there despite not having official diplomatic ties.
Kuomintang lawmaker Lin Yu-Fang said the US training program is important for two reasons. First, Taiwan’s air space is narrow and F-16 pilot training requires a wider air and land space. Second, the program is symbolic of the strong ties between the US and Taiwan.
Kao said they would use the extra two years to evaluate the effectiveness of the training program.