台湾不应在美国面前装可怜 婉谢美援军备展现自卫决心
▲ 美国国防部交付给台湾的「总统拨款」物资并无执行任务的能力。（图／路透）
● 方恩格（Ross Darrell Feingold）／前美国共和党海外部亚太区主席● 许淳恩／译者
美国国防部监察长在最近所发布的一份报告中，揭露了美国总统以「总统拨款权」名义赠送给台湾武器、弹药及其他军事物资的糟糕情形，令台湾许多人感到惊讶。监察长确定，这些美国国防部交付给台湾的「总统拨款」物资并无执行任务的能力，因此，这不但阻碍了美国国防部实现安全合作目标，还有可能会降低台湾对美国的信心。
然而，有鉴于以下几个显而易见的原因，这个情况并没有让笔者感到意外。
当美国国会议员首次提出可以以「总统拨款权」的名义将防卫设备赠送给台湾时，笔者始终在台湾的政论节目上或是在投稿文章中，保持一致的立场。这个立场很简单：如果美国提议要免费赠送枪械、弹药或其他军事设备给台湾的话，台湾应该要表示「谢谢，但不用了」。
▲ 美国依总统拨款权提供台湾的军备遭水损，从包装可看到潮湿发霉。图中物品包括防弹板，2023年12月底运到台湾。（图／翻摄自美国国防部监察长报告）
为何笔者会持这个立场呢？原因如下。
首先，接受这些来自美国的捐赠需要耗费时间。台湾军方必须要先花时间开箱检查设备，并判断哪些设备「状况良好」，而哪些设备发霉、过期或因为其他原因无法正常运作。可想而知，台湾军方应该有比这更重要的事情需要花时间去处理。
其次，台湾已经生产了一些美国作为赠品提供的设备。拥有数十年驻台经验的美国军事记者颜文德（Wendell Minnick）在其 Substack 帐号「China in Arms」上所发表的文章中指出，台湾国防部军备局生产制造中心第205厂已经生产了M240机枪，并将其称为「T74」。然而，不知为何，美国还是赠送了好几把M240机枪给台湾。根据监察长的报告，虽然美国军方规定要求军事用品的运送需要有良好的包装和缓冲，但是运送到台湾的M240机枪却是被直接松散地放置在一个大纸箱中。
▲ 国防部军备局生产制造中心第205厂已经生产了M240机枪，并将其称为「T74」。（图／记者吕佳贤摄）
第三，台湾目前赠送给邦交国和其他友好国家，或是出售给友好国家的枪械和弹药，与美国赠送给台湾的种类相似。究竟为什么台湾会接受与自身提供给其他国家的免费援助或销售的枪支与弹药如此相似的礼物，缘由为何目前尚不清楚。
第四，台湾是一个非常富有的国家，拥有足够的现金支付自身的国防支出。每年中央政府预算的增幅就足以证明，台湾政府有足够的资金来支持国防事务。事实上，台湾的年度中央政府预算中涵盖了许多不必要的基础建设支出（英文称之为「白象工程」，中文则称之为「蚊子馆」），还有对各种社会福利的补贴，例如住房补助、育儿和医疗保健等。
第五，也是最重要的一点，台湾接受美国的免费军事设备赠品，这传递给美国的讯息简直不堪入目。这意味着台湾在自身国防上投入的不足，所以才会需要免费的赠品。这同时也暗示了台湾不知道应该要怎么去规画国防支出，因此必须要靠「美国爸爸」才能决定台湾需要什么来保护自己。与此同时，这也传达出台湾对于如何自卫毫无主见，所以才会笑纳美国送来的所有装备。
这真的是台湾想传达给美国、中国以及世界各国的讯息吗？
▲ 台湾接受美国的免费军事设备赠品，这意味着台湾在自身国防上投入的不足，必须要靠「美国爸爸」才能决定台湾需要什么来保护自己。（图／路透）
总而言之，台湾没必要在美国面前装可怜。台湾真正想要传达给美国的讯息应该是：台湾已经做好万全准备，并且愿意采取任何行动，包括花费财务成本，来自我捍卫，而不需要美国的免费施舍。
换个角度看，如果台湾的政府和人民不愿意采取必要的手段去保卫自己，无论是支出财务成本或是其他自我防卫的方式，那么另一种选择就是现在干脆直接向中国大陆投降好了。
此外，如果川普赢得美国总统大选，他将会更直言不讳地指出台湾应该花多少钱在自身防卫上。我们从川普在七月的言论中便可以看出这一点，他呼吁台湾应该要增加国防支出，但是却被台湾媒体报导成他要求台湾向美国支付「保护费」。
从9月22日起，美台商业协会便会开始举办年度美台国防工业研讨会。这将会是一个台湾向美国表达其不再需要免费军事设备赠品的绝佳机会。
综上所述，笔者强烈建议赖清德总统、国防部长顾立雄，以及国安会秘书长吴钊燮拒绝未来任何来自美国的任何军事设备「赠品」。
▲ 赖清德总统、国防部长顾立雄，以及国安会秘书长吴钊燮应拒绝未来任何来自美国的任何军事设备「赠品」。（图／总统府提供）
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【英文版】
The recent United States Department of Defense Inspector General report about the terrible condition of weapons, ammunition, and other military supplies “gifted” to Taiwan under the U.S. president’s “Presidential Drawdown Authority” has come as a shock to many people in Taiwan. The Inspector General determined that the United States Department of Defense’s delivery of non–mission-capable “presidential drawdown” items to Taiwan inhibits the United States Department of Defense’s ability to achieve its security cooperation goals, and risks degrading Taiwan’s confidence in the United States.
However, for obvious reasons explained below, this situation comes as no surprise to this author.
When it was first proposed by members of the United States Congress that the United States could use “presidential drawdown authority” to gift defense equipment to Taiwan, this author immediately took a consistent position when appearing on political talk shows in Taiwan or in his written analysis of events in Taiwan. This position is very simple: Taiwan should say “Thank you, but no thank you” if the United States proposes to give Taiwan free gifts of guns, ammunition, or other military equipment.
▲ Taiwan should say “Thank you, but no thank you” if the United States proposes to give Taiwan free gifts of guns, ammunition, or other military equipment.（Photo／Reuters）
Why did this author take this position? There are several reasons.
First, accepting gifts of such donations from the United States takes time. Taiwan’s military must spend time opening the boxes sent by the United States, inspecting the equipment, and trying to determine what equipment is in “good working order”, and which equipment in the free gift is moldy, has passed its expiry date, or is otherwise not in good working order. Surely Taiwan’s military has better things to do with its time.
Second, Taiwan already makes some of the equipment that the United States supplied as a free gift. As the American defense journalist Wendell Minnick, who has decades of experience in Taiwan, wrote in an article published on his Substack account “China In Arms”, the Taiwan’s 205th Arsenal already manufactures the M240 machine gun as the “T74”. However, for reasons that are not known, the United States gifedt to Taiwan several M240 machine guns. According to the Inspector General’s report, the M240 machine guns shipped to Taiwan loose were loose in a large cardboard box without any wrapping or cushioning, even though applicable United States military rules required wrapping or cushioning.
▲ Taiwan’s 205th Arsenal already manufactures the M240 machine gun as the “T74”.（Photo／Xian-Ye Chiu）
Third, Taiwan currently gifts to its diplomatic allies and other friendly countries, or sells to friendly countries, guns and ammunition manufactured in Taiwan that are similar to the guns and ammunition that the United States gifted to Taiwan. It is unclear why Taiwan would accept gifts of guns and ammunition that are so similar to what Taiwan provides as free aid, or sells, to other countries.
Fourth, Taiwan is a very wealthy country with sufficient money to pay, in cash, for its own defense. The annual increase in the central budget (including the defense budget) confirms that Taiwan’s government has more than enough money to fund Taiwan’s national defense. Indeed, Taiwan’s annual central government budget includes large amounts of money spent on things like unneeded infrastructure and buildings (known in English as “white elephants” and in Mandarin as “mosquito buildings”), subsidies for many types of social spending including housing assistance, childcare, and health care,
Fifth, and most importantly, by accepting free military equipment gifts from the United States the message that Taiwan sends to the United States is, simply, terrible. It says Taiwan doesn’t spend enough on its own defense and needs free gifts. It says Taiwan doesn’t know what to spend on its defense and needs rely on “Daddy USA” to decide what Taiwan needs to defend itself. It also says that Taiwan doesn’t have its own opinion about what equipment is needed to defend Taiwan, and will instead accept whatever the United States sends.
Is this really the message that Taiwan wants to send to the United States, China, and the rest of the world?
▲ Is "Taiwan doesn’t have its own opinion" really the message that Taiwan wants to send to the United States, China, and the rest of the world?（Photo／Reuters）
In conclusion, there is no need for Taiwan to pretend to be unfortunate in front of the United States. Surely the message that Taiwan wants to send to the United States is that Taiwan is prepared, and willing, to do what is necessary, including the financial cost, to defend Taiwan, without the need for free handouts from the United States.
To look at this another way, if the government and people of Taiwan are not willing to do what is necessary to defend Taiwan, regardless of the financial cost and without the need for free handouts from the United States, the alternative is to surrender now to the mainland.
Furthermore, if President Trump wins the United States presidential election, he will be more outspoken with regard to how much Taiwan should spend on its own defense. We know this from Trump’s remarks in July when he called on Taiwan to spend more on its own defense, which the Taiwan media reported as Trump demanding that Taiwan pay the United States a “protection fee”.
Beginning on September 22 is the annual US-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference organized by the U.S.-Taiwan Business Council. This will be an ideal opportunity for Taiwan to tell the United States that no more free gifts of defense materials are necessary.
This author strongly urges President Lai Ching-te, Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo, and National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu, to reject any future “gifts” from the United States of military equipment.
▲ President Lai Ching-te, Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo, and National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu, to reject any future “gifts” from the United States of military equipment.（Photo／HuI-Gang Tu）
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