First 38 M1A2T Abrams Tanks Arrive in Taiwan

The first batch of 38 M1A2T Abrams main battle tanks purchased by Taiwan from the United States arrived at the Army Equipment Training Department in Hsinchu County, northern Taiwan, at dawn on Monday (December 16) local time.

Eric Gomez of the Cato Institute, described to VOA the M1A2 tank as a “Beachhead Destroyer,” saying that deploying it to the beachhead would deal a heavy blow to the invading Chinese troops.

Gomez believes: “that the PLA Army’s amphibious assault brigade that first lands on Taiwan may have light amphibious armored vehicles to assist in the attack, but will not be supported by the main tanks. This is the key moment for the M1A2 tanks to exert their strength and strike hard at the invading Communist troops. The main task of the Abrams tanks in the Taiwanese army is to fight for those landing points and rely on strong firepower and armor to resist the landing troops.”

Please let us know if you would like to connect with Eric for an interview or further commentary.

Josh Grossman
pr@​cato.​org