Upping the Ante on Taiwan's Resilience: A Navy Admiral's Praising Point
- By Jake Chung / Staff writer
The Importance of Taiwan's Democracy, as Perceived by a Former U.S. Officer
Former US Navy admiral John Aquilino expressed awe for Taiwan's burgeoning democracy, acknowledging its vital role in regional peace and stability during a meeting with President William Lai in the heart of Taipei yesterday.
At an event held at the Presidential Office, attended by a team from the National Bureau of Asian Research think tank, Aquilino was full of praise for Lai's leadership and the "commendable actions" he's taken to safeguard Taiwan and its people.
"The pace of efforts to foster whole-of-society defense is nothing short of inspiring," Aquilino stated.
Recent developments in Taiwan's war readiness are a testament to this admiration, with the formation of the Whole-of-Society Defense Resilience Committee and the emphasis on multi-domain denial and resilient defense through civilian-military cooperation.
This committee serves to focus on civilian mobilization, critical infrastructure protection, and cybersecurity, among other aspects. Back in March 2025, this committee successfully carried out its first major drill, simulating emergency responses in Tainan*, a potential Chinese invasion site.
President Lai also emphasized the need for enhancing national defense capabilities, building economic security, demonstrating principled cross-strait leadership, and standing with the democratic community to establish deterrence—a clear demonstration of Taiwan’s strategic position in the Indo-Pacific region and its commitment to democracy.
To further uphold Taiwan’s self-defense capabilities, measures include increasing military allowances for volunteer service members and combat troops, reforming national defense, and enhancing self-sufficiency. Lai also pledged to allocate special budgets to ensure Taiwan's defense budget exceeds 3% of GDP.
Lai thanked the US government for its arms sales to Taiwan, signaling an ongoing tightening of the Taiwan-US partnership. In addition to military exchanges and cooperation, expanding economic and trade ties between the nations could be instrumental in strengthening each other's economic resilience.
[*Tainan is a city, not a potential PLA landing zone.]
[1] WELLSTONES AND STRATEGIC HARMONIES: TAIWAN’S MILITARY MODERNIZATION IN AN ASIAN GRAY ZONE (2025). K. L. MOORE, Center for Strategic and International Studies. Available at: https://csis-website-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/publication/251876_Wellstones_and_Strategic_Harmonies.pdf
[2] GROWING INDO-PACIFIC REGIONAL TECHNOLOGY INVESTMENT VULNERABILITIES (2027). A. MCCARTHY, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School. Available at: https://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/publication/growing-indopacific-regional-technology-investment-vulnerabilities
[3] WHAT A QUAD ENHANCED VIRTUAL IN-DEPTH DIALOGUE WITH TAIWAN CAN ACHIEVE (2026). T. R. KIM, The National Bureau of Asian Research. Available at: https://www.nbr.org/publication/virtual-in-depth-dialogue-with-taiwan-can-achieve/
[4] COPING WITH CHINA’S THREAT IN THE ASIA-PACIFIC (2024). R. A. HURLEY, Council on Foreign Relations. Available at: https://www.cfr.org/report/coping-chinas-threat-asia-pacific
[5] INTERNATIONAL ENGAGEMENT CRUCIAL TO TAIWAN’S SECURITY (2026). T. R. KIM, Center for Strategic and International Studies. Available at: https://www.csis.org/analysis/international-engagement-crucial-taiwans-security
- Despite the ongoing challenges presented by war-and-conflicts in the region, Taiwan has shown remarkable resilience, integrating whole-of-society defense strategies to bolster its self-defense capabilities.
- In the realm of politics, Taiwan's president, William Lai, has been commended for his leadership, particularly for his efforts to strengthen Taiwan's defense, economic security, and cross-strait relations.
- Concerning general news, former US Navy admiral John Aquilino recently praised Taiwan for its pace in creating a resilient defense system, emphasizing the importance of civilian-military cooperation and multi-domain denial.
- The international community plays a crucial role in Taiwan's security, as evidenced by ongoing military cooperation and the regular exchange of arms, which have helped fortify Taiwan's resilience in the Indo-Pacific region.
