The Pentagon is reportedly planning to station U.S. defense personnel inside Taiwan’s military headquarters as part of an expanded bilateral cooperation program, a move that could deepen ties between Taipei and Washington while provoking strong reactions from Beijing. According to Taiwanese media reports over the weekend, one official from the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy and one expert from the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA) would be assigned on a long-term basis to Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense in Taipei. Their roles would involve assisting with policy coordination and combat capability assessments under the “Taiwan-U.S. Defense Ministry Joint Cooperation Assessment” initiative, which is planned to run through 2028.

The program reportedly has a budget exceeding NT$471 million (approximately HK$116 million), with NT$152.5 million allocated for this year to cover expenses including personnel, consultancy fees, travel, research equipment, data collection, and interpretation services for classified meetings. If confirmed, the arrangement would mark a substantial departure from the current U.S. military presence in Taiwan, which has primarily consisted of trainers and advisers operating through the American Institute in Taiwan, Washington’s de facto embassy on the island.

The U.S. representatives are expected to provide on-site advice on overall defense planning, support war games for the annual Han Kuang exercises, and help evaluate major weapons procurement programs. Taiwan’s defense ministry declined to confirm specifics, stating only that military exchanges with the United States are ongoing and aimed at strengthening the island’s defense capabilities and resilience.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Defense declined to comment on the reports. Meanwhile, reactions within Taiwan have been mixed. Wang Ting-yu, a legislator from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), described the reported initiative as a “major upgrade” in military cooperation, noting that U.S. personnel would now be embedded directly within Taiwan’s defense policy establishment to assist with coordination and capability assessments.

Conversely, Ma Wen-chun, a legislator from the main opposition Kuomintang (KMT), expressed skepticism about the sharp increase in the program’s budget, which she said had grown more than twelvefold from previous years. Ma criticized the lack of transparency regarding the number of U.S. personnel involved, the frequency of meetings, and the tangible benefits of the program, urging the defense ministry to provide clearer answers.

Analysts have highlighted the potential diplomatic and security implications of the arrangement. Zivon Wang, a military analyst at the Chinese Council of Advanced Policy Studies in Taipei, noted that while U.S. military personnel have long been involved unofficially in Taiwan through training roles and participation in exercises like Han Kuang, embedding staff directly within Taiwan’s defense ministry represents a more sensitive development. He suggested Beijing is likely to condemn the move and could respond with escalated military drills and other pressure tactics.

James Yifan Chen, a Taipei-based scholar in international relations and strategic studies, warned that such deepening cooperation might gradually increase U.S. influence over Taiwan’s defense decision-making. Ho Jeng-sheng, vice-chairman of the Taiwan External Relations Research and Development Association, acknowledged that while military cooperation should advance, Taiwan’s defense autonomy must not be compromised.

China considers Taiwan a breakaway province and has threatened to use force if necessary to achieve reunification. Although most countries, including the United States, do not formally recognize Taiwan as an independent country, Washington supports Taipei with arms sales and opposes any unilateral attempts to alter the status quo by force. The reported new level of cooperation demonstrates the challenges Taipei faces in balancing closer U.S. support with maintaining political autonomy and managing cross-strait tensions.