Taiwan wasn’t – Taiwan says it received no notice that the Pentagon put a potential $14 billion arms package on hold, even as Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao told a Senate hearing the pause is meant to preserve missile interceptors if tensions in the Iran conflict flare again.
The pause landed quietly in Washington, but it didn’t land that way in Taipei.
Taiwan said it had not been informed the Pentagon had put a potential $14 billion arms package on hold. Taiwan’s Presidential Office took note of an update announced Thursday by Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao. but it said it had not received information about any change to the deal. Local media quoted Karen Kuo, a spokesperson for Taiwan’s Presidential Office, as saying that.
Cao framed the move as a stockpile safeguard. Speaking at a Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee hearing. he said the pause is intended to preserve weapons stockpiles should the war with Iran escalate again. “Right now we’re doing a pause in order to make sure we have the munitions we need for Epic Fury— which we have plenty. ” Cao told the hearing.
The timing matters. The conflict referenced by Cao had been paused since Washington and Tehran reached a temporary ceasefire on April 7. But that pause has already taken a toll on U.S. inventories: the conflict has depleted U.S. supplies of missile interceptors.
Cao’s remarks add to the uncertainty surrounding the package. offering a more logistical explanation than the one President Donald Trump has provided so far. Trump has not approved the deal. and he has also not offered details of any formal change that Taiwan would have to prepare for. The transaction was raised in Trump’s talks last week with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Trump told reporters that he had put the potential sale “in abeyance” and had not yet decided whether to proceed.
There’s also the political undertow. Trump has said he plans to discuss the issue with Taiwan President Lai Ching-te. Beijing is likely to object, because China opposes official contact with Taipei. China considers Taiwan a breakaway province and regularly protests U.S. arms sales to the self-ruled island.
For Taiwan, the immediate problem is straightforward: the pause may be underway, but the island says it wasn’t informed.
White House comment has not been provided. Newsweek reached out to the White House by email with a request for comment. This is a developing story.
Taiwan United States Pentagon arms sale pause Hung Cao $14 billion missile interceptors Epic Fury Iran ceasefire April 7 Donald Trump Xi Jinping Lai Ching-te