Uploaded August 2021 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
WASHINGTON — The White House wants to sell $750 million worth of weapons to Taiwan.
The newly proposed sale comes atop numerous other approved sales in recent years. These include dozens of F-16 fighter jets, ship-killer missiles, long-range land attack missiles and aircraft-mounted reconnaissance sensors. Here are the details:
Bloomberg News reports that the Biden administration has notified Congress of a proposal to sell $750 million worth of weapons to Taiwan.
Included in the proposed sale are 40 self-propelled M109 artillery units, a number of other armored vehicles, machine guns and almost 1,700 kits to convert standard artillery shells into smart weapons that can steer themselves toward targets.
The U.S. State Department says the sale of the self-propelled artillery vehicles, known as howitzers, would contribute to the modernization of Taiwan’s howitzer fleet, strengthening its self-defense capabilities to meet current and future threats.
When teamed with the 1,700 GPS kits for artillery shells, the mobile howitzers would be able to deploy quickly all over Taiwan and fire guided shells with high accuracy at incoming ships and invasion forces.
The State Department added that, in addition to enhancing the Taiwanese military’s capabilities, the weapons would also enhance its “interoperability with the US and other allies.”
The proposal, brought forth under the State Department’s Foreign Military Sales program, will require the approval of Congress, where Democrats and Republicans have in the past united around the need for American support for Taiwan.
WASHINGTON — The White House wants to sell $750 million worth of weapons to Taiwan.
The newly proposed sale comes atop numerous other approved sales in recent years. These include dozens of F-16 fighter jets, ship-killer missiles, long-range land attack missiles and aircraft-mounted reconnaissance sensors. Here are the details:
Bloomberg News reports that the Biden administration has notified Congress of a proposal to sell $750 million worth of weapons to Taiwan.
Included in the proposed sale are 40 self-propelled M109 artillery units, a number of other armored vehicles, machine guns and almost 1,700 kits to convert standard artillery shells into smart weapons that can steer themselves toward targets.
The U.S. State Department says the sale of the self-propelled artillery vehicles, known as howitzers, would contribute to the modernization of Taiwan’s howitzer fleet, strengthening its self-defense capabilities to meet current and future threats.
When teamed with the 1,700 GPS kits for artillery shells, the mobile howitzers would be able to deploy quickly all over Taiwan and fire guided shells with high accuracy at incoming ships and invasion forces.
The State Department added that, in addition to enhancing the Taiwanese military’s capabilities, the weapons would also enhance its “interoperability with the US and other allies.”
The proposal, brought forth under the State Department’s Foreign Military Sales program, will require the approval of Congress, where Democrats and Republicans have in the past united around the need for American support for Taiwan.
![MORE Bloodshed as U.S. Completes Withdrawal: Rockets Fired and U.S. Drone Attack Kills Civilians
KABUL, AFGHANISTAN — The Taliban have taken over Kabul airport following the departure of the final U.S. flight on Tuesday morning, according to the BBC, but only after a rocket attack on the airport on Monday.
As many as five rockets were fired according to U.S. Major General William Taylor at a Pentagon briefing, with three landing off the airfield with no effect, one intercepted by an anti-missile system and another landing inside with no danger to personnel.
In the hours after the attack, footage emerged showing the remains of a four-door sedan that appeared to have been used by the attackers.
IS-K, an Islamic State affiliate in Afghanistan, has claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it fired at least six Katyusha [d]rockets, according to The Associated Press, which added that rockets also struck a neighborhood close to the airport.
The attack followed a suicide bomb last week which killed at least 95 people, according to the BBC, as well a deadly U.S. drone strike which blew up a vehicle carrying IS suicide bombers planning to attack the airport, according to The Associated Press.
However, relatives cited by The Associated Press said it also killed civilians who had nothing to do with the extremist group. MORE Bloodshed as U.S. Completes Withdrawal: Rockets Fired and U.S. Drone Attack Kills Civilians](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/s5sQEaQfLgw/mqdefault.jpg)









![Tonga Volcano Eruptions: Underwater Volcano Erupts, Triggering Tsunami Warnings
THE HUNGA-TONGA-HUNGA-HAAPAI VOLCANO, TONGA — The “once in 1,000 years” eruption of the Hunga-Tonga Hunga-Haapai[c] volcano on Saturday did not emerge from smaller volcanic cones as in previous eruptions in 2009 and across 2014 and 2015. Rather, it blasted out of a five-kilometer-wide underwater caldera, according to Shane Cronin, Professor of Earth Sciences at the University of Auckland.
The power of the explosion is likely because magma rose up from the caldera so quickly there was no time for a film of steam to form and allow the magma’s surface to cool as it passed through the water.
Instead, hot magma came into direct contact with cold water, creating explosions which split the magma up and forced it into further contact with additional cold water, causing additional explosions.
The resulting blast reached supersonic speeds, sending out a sonic boom that reached New Zealand, according to The Associated Press.
Unusually high waves drowned two people in Peru and caused widespread tsunami alerts elsewhere.
Damage to internet connections meant that very little news of the volcano’s impact on Tonga was available initially, though The Associated Press reported tsunami waves crashing across the shore and people rushing to higher ground.
Two smaller eruptions occurred at the same volcano on December 20 and January 13, and previous 1,000-year major caldera eruption episodes involved many separate explosion events, meaning several weeks or even years of major volcanic unrest could be due, according to Professor Cronin’s article on The Conversation.
In line with this reasoning, CNN reported on Monday that the volcano had erupted again, for the third time in four days, though unlike Saturday’s eruption, which was likely the biggest recorded anywhere on the planet in more than 30 years, there were no additional tsunami alerts. Tonga Volcano Eruptions: Underwater Volcano Erupts, Triggering Tsunami Warnings](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/vbQ7E84wU6Q/mqdefault.jpg)