The Biden administration has approved funding for the first-ever transfer of US military equipment to Taiwan under a program typically saved for sovereign nations, according to a notification sent to Congress on Tuesday.

The package – which is part of the State Department’s foreign military financing (FMF) program – totals $80 million and will be paid for by US taxpayers.

“FMF will be used to strengthen Taiwan’s self-defense capabilities through joint and combined defense capability and enhanced maritime domain awareness and maritime security capability,” the department wrote in its notification to Congress that was reviewed by CNN.

  • Giddy@aussie.zone
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    16
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    1 year ago

    The money spent in Ukraine is money well spent. They have hugely damaged a major belligerent power, forever destroyed the myth of Russian strength, unified Europe and NATO and learned much about Russian military capabilities all while using last generation western hardware

    • SupraMario@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      6
      ·
      1 year ago

      It’s also not just cash, most of the money is from arms we had basically laying around. It’s not like we wrote them a check and handed it over.

    • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      3
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      1 year ago

      Oh absolutely. I’m not saying it shouldn’t have been spent. I’m saying this is a drop in the bucket in comparison before anyone gets worked up about it.

    • Candelestine@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      1 year ago

      Forever destroyed the myth of Russian strength? That’s funny. If that were going to happen, it’d have happened after the Winter War. Or maybe the Russo-Japanese War.

      In a world where people don’t all learn the same things, a myth of military strength is very easy to build from nothing. Just takes some consistent propaganda over time.

    • hglman@lemmy.ml
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      2
      arrow-down
      8
      ·
      1 year ago

      War is never money well spent. It may be necessary, but it is not well spent; churning over war machines isn’t a positive. Defending Ukraine is important, but thinking it’s a good thing seems like you are glad there is a war. Are you suggesting that you are glad Russia invaded?

      • KingSlareXIV@infosec.pub
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        8
        ·
        1 year ago

        Very few people WANT a war in Ukraine. But as China keeps adding dashes to their map, it’s pretty clear there’s a reasonable chance to be an even bigger war around the corner, whether we want it or not.

        The Ukraine war woke the west up from its slumber, and it has allowed us to put the old stuff stuff cluttering our closets to good use, as well as test some new weapons concepts, and to get ourselves ready for the bigger conflict on the horizon.

        If we are really lucky, China is looking at Ukraine and having second thoughts about kicking the hornets nest at all, saving a lot of lives on both sides.

        If we are not that lucky, then Ukraine has allowed us to be much better prepared for the coming conflict.

        So am I glad Ukraine happened? Not a bit. Can I see the silver lining thru the clouds? For sure.

        • hglman@lemmy.ml
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          1
          arrow-down
          6
          ·
          1 year ago

          You’re a delusional warmonger, hundreds of thousands dead, and you are bragging about being able to see past it. That’s pretty clearly deranged.

          • KingSlareXIV@infosec.pub
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            6
            ·
            edit-2
            1 year ago

            Lol, really? One can’t control the fact that bad things happen. The west isn’t forcing either China or Russia to claim territory that doesn’t belong to them.

            However, one can control how one reacts to said events. Help out where we can, and strengthen ourselves for the future.

            There’s that whole proverb about crisis=danger+opportunity. The danger is there regardless…if you fail to seize the opportunity presented, well, you are pretty much guaranteed to come out the other side worse off.

          • Killakomodo@kbin.social
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            5
            ·
            1 year ago

            idk you seem like the delusional one with the idea that someone is gonna go " please mister Putin, please stop war?" and that he would listen

            • hglman@lemmy.ml
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              1
              arrow-down
              5
              ·
              1 year ago

              Yeah, that’s not what i said but you do you and make up things.

              • Killakomodo@kbin.social
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                4
                ·
                1 year ago

                ok so what DO you mean, I mean you are the one putting words in peoples mouths saying they are glad Russia invaded, so what exactly do you mean by it, that Ukraine should just let them take what they want?