Taipei: The Legislature is poised to grant the Cabinet authority to sign Letters of Offer and Acceptance (LOAs) for four U.S. weapons systems, with the agreements set to expire this month. This development follows cross-party discussions held on Thursday.

According to Focus Taiwan, the four systems in question-M109A7 self-propelled howitzers, Javelin anti-armor missiles, TOW 2B missiles, and High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS)-comprise the majority of an arms package valued at US$11.1 billion, which was announced by the United States in December. Although the package also includes Altius-600 and Altius-700M drones, LOAs for these drones have not yet been issued.

The Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), Kuomintang (KMT), and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucuses reached a consensus to incorporate HIMARS into the motion. This decision was influenced by Huang Wen-chi, head of the Ministry of National Defense’s Department of Strategic Planning, who warned that ammunition would be excluded from the package if Taiwan missed the March 26 signing deadline. The other three systems face a deadline of March 15. The revised motion, which also instructs the Cabinet to inform the Legislature about the estimated delivery dates for the systems, is anticipated to pass in a plenary session where the TPP and KMT hold a majority.

A proposal from DPP lawmakers to remove language criticizing the ruling party’s “extremely opaque” management of a proposed NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.30 billion) special defense budget was not accepted. Similarly, requests from KMT and TPP lawmakers to pre-approve the Cabinet’s signing of an LOA for the Altius drones were declined.

Last week, during an all-member meeting, the TPP presented a motion authorizing the Cabinet to sign the LOAs for the first three systems. This proposal advanced to a second reading after receiving cross-party support, although further cross-caucus discussions were necessary for additional progress.