U.S. House Approves $895 Billion Defense Bill with Taiwan Aid

WASHINGTON: The United States House of Representatives on Wednesday passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2025, amounting to $895 billion. The bill includes a provision for up to $300 million in military aid and training for Taiwan, underscoring a strategic focus on bolstering Taiwan's defense capabilities amidst rising tensions with China. According to Focus Taiwan, the NDAA was approved with a 281-140 vote, granting the Department of Defense authority to fund various programs, including the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative. This initiative is designed to enhance Taiwan's self-defense capabilities and is modeled after the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which facilitates the U.S. procurement of military equipment for allies from private companies. The bill, spanning 1,800 pages, aims to augment Taiwan's military capabilities in several areas, including anti-armor, uncrewed aerial vehicles, long-range precision weapons, and cyberdefense. It also covers the provis ion of radars, anti-ship missiles, secure communication equipment, and critical combat training. To expedite arms delivery to Taiwan, the bill mandates the provision of defense articles from U.S. inventories. Furthermore, the NDAA includes measures for a U.S.-Taiwan partnership program focusing on military trauma care and mental health conditions related to post-traumatic stress disorder. It also proposes Taiwan's participation in the Rim of the Pacific exercise and introduces the "BOLSTER Act" to coordinate responses with European allies against potential Chinese aggression towards Taiwan. The defense bill authorizes a total of $895.2 billion, which includes allocations for the Department of Defense, Department of Energy, and defense-related activities. The NDAA requires the U.S. president's signature to become law and outlines the defense budget, necessitating a separate appropriations bill for actual fund distribution.