DEFENSE/Some Taiwanese conscripts to be trained by U.S. military personnel: Minister

Taipei, March 7 (CNA) Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng (邱國正) said Thursday that American military personnel are being rotated to provide training to the armed forces in Taiwan, including conscripts, and Taiwanese soldiers are also receiving training in the United States.

Providing training to Taiwan troops is part of the exchanges between the armed forces of the U.S. and Taiwan, so any change in the number of U.S. personnel in Taiwan is a non-issue, Chiu said, in response to a lawmaker's questions during a legislative hearing.

There has been a recent increase in the rotation of U.S. military personnel assigned to Taiwan, but they are only providing training and are not being commissioned into Taiwan's armed forces, he said, when asked by Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) to expand on the details of the arrangements.

The American servicepeople are in Taiwan to "pass on their experience to us," which is helpful, Chiu said, adding that both the quality and the extent of the military training have been on the rise.

On the question of whether that training extends to conscripts doing their 12-month compulsory military service, Chiu said some of them will be included, particularly those stationed in units that require a certain type of training.

Regarding the training of Taiwanese soldiers in the U.S. from two different brigades, Army Chief of General Staff Chen Chien-yi (陳建義) declined to give any details, saying only it is going as planned.

Chiu, however, confirmed media reports about the participation last year of troops from Taiwan's combined arms battalions of the Army 542nd Armored Brigade and 333rd Mechanized Infantry Brigade in U.S. training programs.

According to the news reports published last year, Taiwan's 333rd Mechanized Infantry Brigade took part in an exercise called Northern Strike in Michigan in August, alongside troops from numerous other countries.

Taiwan's 542nd Armored Brigade, meanwhile, was receiving training related to M1A2 Abrams tanks. Taiwan has purchased 108 such tanks, which are expected to start arriving this year, the media reports said.

When asked whether the current level of military exchanges with the U.S. may be expanded further, Chiu said that is negotiable with the U.S.