Taiwan Arms Backlog, November 2024 Update: HIMARS Delivery and a Second Trump Administration | Cato at Liberty Blog

The US arms sale backlog to Taiwan was reduced by $436 million in November 2024 as the first tranche of 11 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) arrived. With this delivery, the arms sale backlog is now valued at $21.95 billion. See Figures 1 and 2 for a breakdown of the backlog by weapon category and a side-by-side comparison with October 2024, respectively. Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election will also have important consequences for US arms sales to Taiwan. The first Trump administration is responsible for the bulk of the Taiwan arms backlog by dollar value. Of the $21.95 billion in undelivered weapons, the Trump administration sold $15.70 billion, roughly 72 percent. This will change over the first two years of the second Trump administration as several large sales are scheduled to be fully delivered by the end of 2026. But it is worth comparing the Trump and Biden administrations’ records on arms sales to Taiwan in detail. HIMARS Delivery and New Maint

The US arms sale backlog to Taiwan was reduced by $436 million in November 2024 as the first tranche of 11 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) arrived. With this delivery, the arms sale backlog is now valued at $21.95 billion. See Figures 1 and 2 for a breakdown of the backlog by weapon category and a side-by-side comparison with October 2024, respectively. Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election will also have important consequences for US arms sales to Taiwan. The first Trump administration is responsible for the bulk of the Taiwan arms backlog by dollar value. Of