TAIPEI (TVBS News) — A Kuomintang (KMT, 國民黨) legislator criticized the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP, 民進黨) on Monday (Sept. 16) for increasing defense budgets annually while receiving substandard military supplies from the U.S. Lai Shyh-bao (賴士葆) argued that Taiwan recently received outdated ammunition, including bullets manufactured 40 years ago.
The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) evaluated the military equipment delivered to Taiwan through the US Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA), and found that the U.S. sent Taiwan wet and moldy bulletproof vests and expired ammunition, deeming them unusable.
According to the report, 120 out of 340 pallets affected by rain contained these defective vests, and Taiwan also received 2.7 million rounds of 1983-manufactured ammunition, along with other expired, loose, and improperly packaged items.
A U.S. official admitted that the condition of these supplies would leave a negative impression on Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense, comparing the ammunition's packaging to discarded items. An official from the U.S. Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) warned that moldy bulletproof vests pose health risks and should not be used.
On Sept. 15, the U.S. DOD acknowledged Taiwan as a critical security partner and committed to learning from this incident by improving processes. Meanwhile, Taiwan's military spokesman, Major General Sun Li-fang (孫立方), stated that Taiwan and the U.S. have jointly reviewed and addressed the condition of the military aid delivered.