In the midst of rising geopolitical tensions, Taiwanese troops are scheduled to receive specialized training to operate M1 tanks and High- Mobility Artillery Rocket System ( HIMARS ) training in the US. This will be a crucial step in Taiwan’s defense strategy.
Taiwan will send 114 personnel to the US for M1A2T Abrams tanks and High- Mobility Artillery Rocket System ( HIMARS ) training, according to Taiwan News ‘   report from late last month. In 2024, the self-governing area may get deliveries of 38 M1A2T Abrams tanks and 11 HIMARS systems, according to the report.
To fulfill the products operation and maintenance personnel requirements, the Chinese military plans to send dispatch personnel to the US for training starting in January. They will be in charge of teaching operations and serve as instructors for the two weapons systems after completing their training, it is also stated.
According to the review, 108 M1A2T tanks that the United States agreed to sell to Taiwan in 2019 will be delivered starting the next year. The report cites Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense Budget for 2024. It states that 38 M1A2T tanks are expected to be delivered in their first sale the following year, followed by 42 more in 2025 and 28 more by 2026.
Taiwan News also reports that the US authorized Taiwan to purchase 11 HIMARS techniques in 2020 and afterwards consented to buy 18 more.
According to the source, deliveries of the first eleven HIMARS systems are expected to start the next year and last through 2025, with the final eighteen systems due to be delivered in 2026.
According to Taiwan News, 84 officers and enlisted personnel will be sent to the US in January for M1A2T pond coaching as part of the defense budget for the upcoming season. By the end of the following year, the instruction is expected to be completed, according to the statement.
Additionally, the report states that starting in February of the following year, 30 officers and enlisted staff will be sent to the US for HIMARS education, which is scheduled to end by October.
It states that upon their return to the nation, the troops will be given the responsibility of acting as instructors for these two tool systems, developing lesson plans and guidelines in addition to carrying out education and training initiatives.
Those M1 tank are prepared to be crucial in a Chinese defense against an invasion by the Chinese.  : Charlemagne McHaffie claims that vehicles will be the centerpiece of Taiwan’s attack to thwart Chinese attempts to break out of established outposts in an article published in October 2020 for the Global Taiwan Institute.
Tanks are also essential components for military and operational-level counterattacks, despite McHaffie’s observation that M1 tanks have been criticized as narcissism purchases with small warfighting value. He emphasizes that while asymmetrical weapons like anti-tank missiles are appropriate for the defense, they cannot take the place of tanks on the offensive.  ,
Regarding HIMARS, Kama Hsu and Jaime Ocon pointed out in a film released last month for Taiwan Plus  that the organization offers Taiwan important shoot-and-scoot capability, addressing an enormous vulnerability with conventional pulled guns that make up the majority of Taiwan’s artillery firepower.
Although they can be entrenched, towed artillery weapons are neither smart nor protected, making them susceptible to flying precision strikes. By quickly changing locations, HIMARS enables Taiwan to attack Chinese outposts while remaining secure from counterbattery fire.  ,
Importantly, the development of the M1 tank and HIMARS artillery consolidation takes place in the midst of a significant backlog of US arms shipments to Taiwan, whose protection sector is under pressure from having to support Ukraine and Israel while sustaining local production and dealing with internal problems.  ,
Eric Gomez and Benjamin Giltner mention the US’s USD 19.17 hands sales delay to Taiwan in a Cato Institute article from last month, which includes sales of conventional arms like vehicles as well as symmetric arms and weapons.
According to Gomez and Giltner, asymmetric weapons, such as short-range air and anti-ship missiles, account for$ 4.2 billion, or 22 %, of the backlog in the US, followed by conventional weapons like M1 tanks and$ 2.8 billion or 15 % of it.
They point out that the US delay to Taiwan is dominated by conventional weapons, which are susceptible to loss in the early stages of a potential Chinese invasion.  ,
The US even has problems supplying Taiwan’s arms with support and maintenance.  : Gomez and Giltner note that the US provided Taiwan with more repair help for their conventional weapons, such as the F-16s, than their asymmetrical features.
They claim that because they are used more frequently in times of peace, standard weapons require more maintenance than the majority of asymmetrical weapons. They also draw attention to the fact that, despite carrying out a wider range of tasks, standard systems require more maintenance and wear and tear.
They claim that due to Taiwan’s minimal defense budget, for acquisitions incur significant opportunity costs in terms of funds not available for the construction and upkeep of asymmetric systems, which typically have lower initial and ongoing costs.
Gomez and Giltner point out that the number of maintenance assistance the US provides to Taiwan demonstrates that it is unable to maintain its high-end skills on its own. They draw attention to this danger because, in the event of a Chinese invasion and siege, resupplying Taiwan might not be an alternative.
In light of this risk, they advise the US to improve Taiwan’s capacity to maintain its US-made weapons with domestically produced components and to hoard extra components as urgently as munitions.  , In addition to those problems, the US defence sector also faces internal issues that make it less able to support Taiwan.  ,
Jordan Cohen and Jennifer Kavanagh note in a January 2023 content for the Cato Institute think tank that Taiwan’s massive delay in US arms deliveries is caused by issues with the US defence business base, which makes it difficult to fulfill domestic and international orders, inefficient US sales-to-delivery procedures, and complex export controls.
According to Cohen and Kavanagh, arming Taiwan will necessitate considerable investments in the US defence industrial base, modifications to the arms move process, and a distinct priority of Taiwan over smaller US clients with dubious human rights records.  ,