By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
TAIPEI/BEIJING (Worthy News) – The world was moving towards another potentially massive armed conflict Thursday, with Taiwan officially confirming the permanent stationing of U.S. troops on its territory in the Taiwan Strait.
The development came after China increased military exercises near democratically-ruled Taiwan, which it views as a renegade province that must be put under control by Beijing by force if necessary.
“After the war Ukraine, watch Taiwan,” a senior U.S. security official with close knowledge about the inner workings of the U.S. military told Worthy News earlier, speaking on condition of anonymity.
With tensions rising, Taiwan’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed last year facilitated the deployment of American troops to conduct “training programs” for Taiwanese frontline forces, officials said.
Asked to confirm reports U.S. Army Green Special Forces, also known as Green Berets, were in Taiwan permanently, Taiwanese defense chief Chiu Kuo-cheng told reporters: “No matter the situation, there may be blind spots or shortcomings. So we need to communicate with our allies—whether it is a team, a group, or a country.”
In comments seen by Worthy News, be added that “We can learn from each other to see what strengths we have. This is a fixed thing.”
In 2021, President Tsai Ing-wen revealed U.S. instructors were conducting occasional training with Taiwanese armed service members. Chiu’s statement was seen as the first confirmation of the long-term nature of the activities.
AMERICAN PRESENCE
An American military presence was reported in the northeast city of Taoyuan on Taiwan’s main island, with troops providing specialized training on drone equipment for Taiwan’s elite Airborne Special Service Company.
U.S. sources said earlier that American forces had only “started” to take up “permanent positions” at the Taiwanese Army’s amphibious command centers in Kinmen and Penghu, a group of islands run by Taiwan.
Their missions include regular training and exercises alongside Taiwan’s elite forces, Worthy News monitored.
The stepped-up U.S. presence comes after U.S. President Joe Biden warned China in 2021 that the United States would defend Taiwan if Beijing attacked.
It was seen as an apparent departure from a long-held U.S. position, though the White House rushed to say that Biden’s remarks did not signify “a change” in United States policy.
The U.S. has legislation that requires it to help Taiwan defend itself. But experts say so far, the United States has pursued a policy of “strategic ambiguity,” where it is deliberately vague about what it would do if China were to attack Taiwan.
With American troops now on the ground in Taiwan, the United States appeared to send a clear military warning to Communist-ruled China not to annex Taiwan.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
The Trump administration has finalized a sweeping reciprocal trade agreement with Taiwan, confirming a 15 percent U.S. tariff rate on Taiwanese imports while securing broad new market access and purchase commitments for American goods.
Democrats are applauding White House border czar Tom Homan’s Thursday announcement that immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota will end next week.
Democrats in the U.S. Senate tanked the Homeland Security full-year funding bill in a last-ditch vote Thursday, all but guaranteeing a partial government shutdown starting Saturday.
Mourners in a remote Canadian town grappled Thursday with the aftermath of one of the country’s deadliest school shootings in decades, as families, survivors and leaders reacted to the tragedy that left eight victims — most of them children — dead, along with the 18-year-old suspect.
A gunman who opened fire at a school in southern Thailand’s Hat Yai city on Wednesday wounded a teacher and a student before being detained, authorities said, in a rare attack that sent students and staff into panic.
The Republican-led House of Representatives has passed the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act, advancing legislation that would require proof of citizenship to register to vote and photo identification at the polls. The bill now heads to the Senate, where its future remains uncertain amid strong Democratic opposition.
Israel’s Ministry of Defense announced on Wednesday that its advanced David’s Sling air and missile defense system has completed a series of complex modernized tests, a development officials say bolsters the country’s defensive posture as tensions with Iran escalate and the United States prepares military options that could include direct strikes.