U.S. Indo-Pacific Command Deputy Director of Policy
Spotted Sitting Beside Taiwan's Minister of National Defense
A report has emerged that an active-duty U.S. military general attended Taiwan's military exercises preparing for a potential Chinese invasion.
Photo showing the nameplate of a US military general (above) and the deleted photo. Captured from Taiwan Central News Agency. Photo by Yonhap News.
According to Taiwanese media on the 23rd, in a photo related to the 'Han Kuang 41' war game conducted on the 21st, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command Deputy Director of Strategic Planning and Policy Major General Jay M. Bazzarone was seen seated next to Taiwan's Minister of National Defense, Ku Li-hsiung. This is the first time a photo showing an active-duty U.S. general and Taiwan's Minister of National Defense together has been released by military media.
Previously, the Han Kuang war game was mainly attended by officials from the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Taipei Office's Security Cooperation Team, which serves as the de facto U.S. embassy in Taiwan.
However, after this information was made public, the media urgently replaced the photo. Chih-Chung, a researcher at Taiwan's China Future Strategy Association, emphasized the importance of prior coordination between Taiwan and the U.S., stating, "If this photo was exposed without prior coordination, it could leave a negative impression on the U.S. regarding Taiwan's handling of sensitive information, potentially affecting future military exchanges and the procurement of advanced weapons."
Meanwhile, Taiwanese media reported that the Thomas, a scientific research vessel belonging to the U.S. Office of Naval Research (ONR), docked at the southern port of Kaohsiung the previous morning. After completing resupply, it is scheduled to depart for Australia on the 27th. This marks the vessel's fifth visit to Taiwan, the first in over six years since October 2018.
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