Taiwan President Lai Ching-te (C) inspects reservists operating a Hummer 2 Drone during a training session at Loung Te Industrial Parks Service Center, in Yilan County on December 2, 2025. (Photo by I-Hwa Cheng / AFP via Getty Images)
The conference version of the fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act would require the Pentagon to try to set up a new joint program with Taiwanese officials.
U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (R) looks on as U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting of his Cabinet in the Cabinet Room of the White House on December 02, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Questions have swirled about what the administration's Taiwan policy will look like, as the White House pushes for an "America First" diplomatic approach.
The Albatross II attack and surveillance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) drone developed by the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) and its American partner, is on display at the Taipei Aerospace & Defense Technology Exhibition 2025 (TADTE), in Taipei, Taiwan, on September 19, 2025. (Photo by Daniel Ceng/Anadolu via Getty Images)
U.S. Army Spc. Anton Lane, a combat medic with specialized drone training, assigned to 5-7 Cavalry, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division visually tracks a Skydio X10E4TT drone shortly after deploying it for surveillance during exercise Combined Resolve 25-2 at Hohenfels Training Area, Hohenfels, Germany on May 17, 2025. (US Army photo by U.S. Army Sgt. Fist Class Richard Hoppe, Released).
PACIFIC OCEAN (May 3, 2023) A global advanced reconnaissance craft is deployed in the Pacific Ocean during the U.S. Pacific Fleet’s Integrated Battle Problem (IBP) 23.1. IBP 23.1 is a U.S. Pacific Fleet experiment, executed by U.S. 3rd Fleet, operationalizing multi-domain employment of unmanned systems to create fleet warfighting advantages. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Derek Kelley)
Using short-range uncrewed systems in each domain, a hedge force for Taiwan would act essentially as a mobile minefield, damaging transport vessels and warships in narrow “kill…
Fire Controlman (Aegis) 3rd Class Thomas Tecchio stands the SPY radar system control watch aboard Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Barry (DDG 52) as it transits the Taiwan Strait during a routine transit Sept. 17, 2021. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Justin Stack)
