Cambodia Condemns Thai Military Attack on Preah Vihear Temple | Cambodia Confirms Troops Still Holding Mount Trop as Thailand Cannot Raise Flag on Sovereign Territory | Cambodia and Thailand Clashes Enter Third Day as Casualties Rise to 33 | UN Security Council Urges Restraint as Thailand-Cambodia Clashes Intensify | Cambodia Condemns Thai Aggression at UN, Calls for Ceasefire and International Intervention | Techo Hun Sen Advises Military Strategy Amidst Border Clashes with Thailand | 45 Staff Rescued After Being Trapped at Preah Vihear Temple Amidst Clashes | BREAKING: Cambodia Denies Firing Projectiles into Laos, Accuses Thailand of Disinformation | Cambodia's Tourism Ministry Seeks Aid for Troops, Refugees; Reaffirms Commitment to Peace | BREAKING: Laos Denies Border Clash with Cambodia; Cambodia Rejects Thai Accusations of Shelling Laos | BREAKING NEWS: Andrew MacGregor Marshall Claims Queen Mother Sirikit Has Died, Alleging Concealment by Thai Authorities | TOP NEWS: Trump Claims Diplomatic Role in Cambodia-Thailand Border Conflict, Calls for Ceasefire | TOP NEWS: Cambodian Prime Minister Confirms President Donald Trump Ceasefire Agreement with Thailand | Thai Military of Escalating Attacks, Despite Cambodia Ceasefire Efforts |
Cambodia Condemns Thai Military Attack on Preah Vihear Temple | Cambodia Confirms Troops Still Holding Mount Trop as Thailand Cannot Raise Flag on Sovereign Territory | Cambodia and Thailand Clashes Enter Third Day as Casualties Rise to 33 | UN Security Council Urges Restraint as Thailand-Cambodia Clashes Intensify | Cambodia Condemns Thai Aggression at UN, Calls for Ceasefire and International Intervention | Techo Hun Sen Advises Military Strategy Amidst Border Clashes with Thailand | 45 Staff Rescued After Being Trapped at Preah Vihear Temple Amidst Clashes | BREAKING: Cambodia Denies Firing Projectiles into Laos, Accuses Thailand of Disinformation | Cambodia's Tourism Ministry Seeks Aid for Troops, Refugees; Reaffirms Commitment to Peace | BREAKING: Laos Denies Border Clash with Cambodia; Cambodia Rejects Thai Accusations of Shelling Laos | BREAKING NEWS: Andrew MacGregor Marshall Claims Queen Mother Sirikit Has Died, Alleging Concealment by Thai Authorities | TOP NEWS: Trump Claims Diplomatic Role in Cambodia-Thailand Border Conflict, Calls for Ceasefire | TOP NEWS: Cambodian Prime Minister Confirms President Donald Trump Ceasefire Agreement with Thailand | Thai Military of Escalating Attacks, Despite Cambodia Ceasefire Efforts |

U.S. Strives to Accelerate Delivery of New Fighter Jets to Taiwan

INTERNATIONAL: The United States is looking for ways to potentially accelerate delivery of Taiwan's next generation of new-build F-16 fighter jets, U.S. officials have announced, bolstering the Taiwanese air force's ability to respond to what Washington and Taipei see as increasing intimidation by China's military.

The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, have said they have not yet come up with a solution on how to speed delivery of Block 70 F-16s, manufactured by Lockheed Martin and equipped with new capabilities. The aircraft are currently slated to be delivered by the end of 2026.

Taiwan's government has privately expressed its wish for a faster delivery to U.S. President Joe Biden's administration, a senior Taiwanese official has confirmed, as the self-ruled island's air force scrambles jets to intercept increasingly aggressive Chinese military flights.

More missions mean more wear-and-tear on Taiwan's aircraft.

"It's all about risk assessment ... and it's clear where the risks are," the Taiwanese official further said, referring to tensions across the sensitive Taiwan Strait separating the island from mainland China. The F-16 is considered a highly maneuverable aircraft proven in air-to-air combat and air-to-surface attack.

Taiwan is on track to field one of the largest F-16 fleets in Asia once it takes delivery of 66 new-build F-16 C/D Block 70 aircraft under an $8 billion deal approved in 2019. It would bring the island's total number of F-16s, including older versions, to more than 200 by 2026.

Any move to accelerate deliveries of new aircraft could ultimately come down to a determination by Biden's administration that Taiwan's defense needs are more urgent than those of other U.S. allies and partners, according to experts.

The president of the US-Taiwan Business Council, Rupert Hammond-Chambers, an organization that encourages trade and business ties between the two countries says, “That’s President Joe Biden’s decision. They would have to decide that the threat from China was more important than the threat from Iran or the threat from the Russians."

Lockheed Martin says the Block 70 aircraft are the newest F-16 configuration, with new avionics, a modernized cockpit and an improved engine.

A former senior Pentagon official. Abraham Denmark has mentioned that a move to accelerate the aircraft delivery would be seen in Beijing in part through a political lens.

"It is yet another clear signal of U.S. determination to support Taiwan's ability to defend itself," added Denmark, now an analyst at the Washington-based Wilson Center think tank.



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