Military sources say around 200 U.S. advisers currently in Taiwan

Taipei, April 17 (CNA) Around 200 U.S. military advisers are currently stationed at bases across Taiwan, sources within the armed forces said Monday.

According to the sources, the U.S. advisers have been primarily assigned to boot camps and reserve brigades to observe Taiwan's protocols and provide practical consultations on training methods.

The inputs from the U.S. advisers will be later used to help Taiwan formulate better training when mandatory military service is extended to one year in 2024, the sources added.

Asked to comment, the Army Command Headquarters declined to provide any details on U.S. troop presence, stating only that any affairs involving exchanges between Taiwan and a foreign military follow regulations.

Local media began reporting sightings of U.S. advisers as early as March 27 at a base in Kaohsiung's Gangshan District.

Speaking with CNA, Chieh Chung (揭仲), an associate research fellow with the National Policy Foundation in Taipei, said that if the U.S. advisers could provide the nation with practical improvements, Taiwan's military would make great strides.

Chieh explained that the U.S. military is very familiar with strategic shooting and battlefield medical training, both of which could benefit conscripts.

Meanwhile, Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the Taiwan government-funded Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the deployment of advisers, mainly from the U.S. Army, was part of Washington's efforts to fulfill the ambitions of the U.S. National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023, which seeks to deepen military exchanges with Taiwan and strengthen Taiwan's defense capabilities.