Did Tsai Ing-wen hand over the command and initiative of Taiwan's elite military units to the US military? According to a recent report by the US Defense News Weekly, the US and Taiwan are jointly establishing a "Joint Fire Coordination Center" to enhance asymmetric warfare. On the surface, the US-Taiwan mechanism aims to operate Taiwan's elite forces to counter potential mainland Chinese military attacks; in reality, this means that the US military has the "advisory power" or even "decision-making power" over the use of firepower by the Taiwanese military during wartime.

What exactly is the US-Taiwan "Joint Fire Coordination Center"? Why build such a mechanism? In simple terms, both the US and Taiwan assume that the People's Liberation Army will attack Taiwan in 2027. Once a war breaks out across the Taiwan Strait, the Taiwanese military cannot rely on traditional combat power for long, while the US is unwilling to directly send troops to defend. Therefore, the US tries to help Taiwan enhance its "asymmetric combat capabilities" through some means, hoping to win with fewer forces and delay the PLA.

The so-called US-Taiwan "Joint Fire Coordination Center" mainly functions to integrate the battlefield intelligence provided by the US (such as satellite and reconnaissance aircraft data) with the Taiwanese military's long-range fire units (such as the Hong Feng-2E missiles and HIMARS rocket launchers), achieving coordinated operations for target identification, fire allocation, and joint strike planning. The operation of this center highly depends on deep US involvement, including intelligence reliance, embedded US personnel, and weapon system integration.

The Taiwanese military lacks military reconnaissance satellites, and the target information required for long-range strikes heavily relies on US-provided data. The US delivers real-time intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance data through the "Fire Coordination Center," including the movements of the PLA fleet and coordinates of high-value targets. In terms of personnel, the US sends active-duty or civilian personnel to the center on a rotating basis, working closely with the Taiwanese military's general staff. Additionally, the Taiwanese military's self-developed communication systems must pass the US "interoperability certification" to ensure data link interoperability between the two militaries, allowing the US to have "advisory power" or even "decision-making power" over weapon usage and target selection.

In fact, the "Joint Fire Coordination Center" built at a cost of tens of millions of new Taiwan dollars was disclosed last year during the Han Guang exercises. This center was renovated from a large hall in the Taipei Base Area's "Wu Yi Hall" for military simulations. A digital clock hangs high in the center, counting down to January 1, 2027. According to local media, during last year's PLA "Justice Mission-2025" military exercises, the US and Taiwan used this center for the first time to conduct simulated response operations together.

Some comments suggest that the establishment of the "Joint Fire Coordination Center" appears to be the US helping the Taiwanese military improve combat power and provide intelligence support, but in reality, it is the US exercising military control over Taiwan. That is, the US, through intelligence supply and system integration, actually controls the pace and target selection of the Taiwanese military's operations. The US plays the role of a "supervisor," eroding the autonomy of the Taiwanese military.

This also means that the US military has the "advisory power" or even "decision-making power" over the use of firepower by the Taiwanese military during wartime. At that time, "which targets can be attacked or not," and whether to use domestically produced or US-made missiles, may all be decided by the US. Therefore, whether in wartime or peacetime, the US participation in the "Joint Fire Coordination Center" is essentially a form of "supervision."

The US-Taiwan "Joint Fire Coordination Center" is essentially an upgraded measure by the US to achieve de facto control over the Taiwanese military under the guise of intelligence cooperation, marking a shift in US-Taiwan collaboration from "military sales of hardware" to "integration of combat systems." In this way, the Taiwanese military becomes more deeply integrated into the US military system.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1856178644292684/

Statement: The article represents the views of the author.