Molded body armor from Taiwan sent by USA, machine gun in cardboard box: OIG

The Department of Defense sent 504 pallets to Taiwan from November 2023 to March 2024 as part of the presidential retreat, which allows the US to provide weapons and equipment to its partners from its own stockpiles.

The OIG said at least 340 of those pallets — about two-thirds of the total shipment — “suffered water damage” because they were so delayed.

These included 120 pallets containing 500 damp and moldy tactical vests and “3,000 moldy armor plates,” the watchdog said.

Also, the boxes that transported the equipment showed clear signs of damage.

“We observed disintegration of three walls with visible mold spores wrapped in plastic that had trapped water, facilitating further deterioration and mold growth,” officials wrote.

The shipments were stored at Travis Air Force Base, but the OIG said the US military did not request flights to send the equipment to Taiwan for two months after receiving the boxes.

Without facilities to store or protect equipment and ammunition, they were exposed to the elements, the report added.

The report also said the shipments contained 2.7 million rounds of ammunition manufactured in 1983. Some of the rounds were “poorly packaged,” while others were expired, the OIG said.

According to the report, US diplomats working with Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense said some ammunition arrived in open boxes, making it appear the rounds came from facilities that had “disposed of things they didn’t want”.

A senior US official noted that the shipment “did not leave a favorable impression on Taiwan’s senior MND leaders,” the report said.

In addition, the shipments to Taiwan included six M240B machine guns from the National Guard in Clovis, New Mexico, which were dropped in a cardboard box without any packaging.

The OIG warned that the gaffe risks damaging Taiwan’s trust in the US at a time when Taipei is already facing increasing pressure from Beijing.

In a statement to media in Taiwan, Pentagon spokesman Maj. Pete Nguyen said the Defense Department would learn from the OIG report and improve the shipping process.

“Taiwan is a key security cooperation partner, and the US government is committed to ensuring that the equipment delivered to this partner is sufficient for operational use,” Nguyen said, according to the Taipei Times.

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent after business hours by Business Insider.

The damaged items sent to the self-governing island were part of a $345 million defense package that President Joe Biden signed into law in July 2023.

Tensions between Taipei and Beijing have risen to new heights since the re-election of Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party, a sign that voters continue to support mainland Chinese resistance.