Taiwan wants submarines. Its legislature has now passed a defense budget that includes the first dollars the island has decided to spend on a modern underwater fleet.
There is a strong chance that Groton's Electric Boat could benefit from those dollars, because Taiwan's new submarines would be designed and made in America, and this submarine builder is anxious to bid on the work — as long as the U.S. Navy says it's OK.
Taiwan has set aside an initial $62 million to start a design and building process that could result in an eight-boat diesel-electric fleet — a weapons deal that is strongly resisted by China, which considers Taiwan a rogue province that China will one day reclaim. The United States is Taiwan's chief protector and weapons supplier, and the only submarine-building country apparently willing to make such a deal against China's wishes.
The concept for the eight-boat deal emerged in 2001, when President Bush announced a significant defensive weapons package for Taiwan, though years have passed in which Taiwan's leaders have debated the expensive arrangement. The decision had become highly politicized, and the final compromise so far includes less money than the estimated full cost of a design for the new subs.
These submarines would be powered by diesel and batteries. If they are assembled in America, it would mark the first time U.S. submarine builders have built subs for a foreign navy. It would also be the first time they have worked on diesel-powered subs since the 1950s birth of the nuclear-powered fleet. Diesel-electric submarines are smaller than their nuclear cousins and are able to stay underwater for much shorter periods.
Electric Boat officials have said the company won't bid for the work, which would be coordinated through the Pentagon, until it receives confirmation that its primary customer — the U.S. Navy — doesn't mind. But if it gets the nod, the company is eager to work on a new generation of diesels. The Department of Defense has indicated as recently as last year that it still intends to honor the 2001 presidential offer if Taiwan comes up with the money.
On Thursday, Taiwan's Legislative Yuan passed the bill, which also pays for Patriot missiles and sets aside a further $105 million for submarines. The Taiwanese administration would have to ask for that additional money from the legislature.
It's unclear how or when the initial $62 million for submarines will be spent. Some Taiwanese legislators have reportedly referred to it as "feasibility study" funding, but Justin Bernier, who heads Connecticut's military liaison office, said the money is more than that.
"The politics in Taiwan sometimes confuses the message," he said Thursday. "What's clear is that this funding will go toward the beginning of a design."
