The United States sent faulty military items to [Taiwan](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/taiwan/) including mouldy armour and expired ammunition.
Most military equipment that suffered water damage was delivered from November 2023 through March 2024.
They remained at the aerial port of embarkation for more than three months pending air transport to Taiwan.
The army didn’t initiate requests for transportation until the end of 2023, unable to equip sufficient storage capacity. It failed to fully mitigate the exposure of items to adverse weather conditions.
The Department of Defense (DoD) failed to “effectively or efficiently implement accountability and quality controls for items delivered to Taiwan using the Presidential Drawdown Authority”, according to a report issued on Wednesday.
“The DoD provided unserviceable and poorly packaged equipment and munitions to Taiwan.”
Photos clearly show damaged pallets and mouldy body armour that arrived in Taiwan in 2023, including more than 3,000 mildewed body armour plates and 500 wet and mouldy tactical vests.
Personnel at the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said the equipment was “soaking wet and full of mould”.
According to the report, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense issued a letter to the AIT’s security cooperation office in December 2023, stating that Taiwan had received 2.7 million rounds of ammunition.
This included expired, loose, and rounds of ammunition in the wrong packaging, which did not comply with shipping standards.
AIT described the open boxes of ammunition as “obviously extra boxes” of ammunition that give an impression of the army trying to “clear out stuff they didn’t want”.
Machine guns are also shipped without proper packaging such as serviceability paperwork, labels, wrapping, and cushioning.
The National Defense Authorization Act 2023 authorised the US president to draw down up to $1 billion from existing DoD stock to provide military assistance to Taiwan.
this is an unfortunate side effect of not buying arms from manufacturers. military aid is often old or used equipment.
SideburnSundays on
Does mold compromise the integrity of ballistic plates?
unknownSubscriber on
Seems more like poor shipping/storage that resulted in damage. Unclear what type of ammunition they are speaking of that is expired, but brass rounds can last decades if stored properly.
warrensussex on
Gave all the good stuff to Ukraine.
Machiavelli1480 on
Well taiwan, if it makes you feel any better, I was in the us military and we got send broken, soggy, moldy, shoddy, and ruined stuff every now and then as well. When you move as much stuff as they do, it happens. Something will get left in the rain, or forgotten about in a field, basements flood, pipes leak, and a million other things happen. I dont know why this is even a story.
king-of-boom on
Imagine complaining about receiving stuff for free.
Legio-V-Alaudae on
The battle to save Taiwan will be a naval/air force war. If the main land puts troops en masse on the island, it’s over.
ProLibertate4 on
Boeing products?
Coast_watcher on
What ? p-40’s
zebenix on
I’d take mouldy body armour over no body armour. Probably give it a wipe before putting it on
11 Comments
**From The Telegraph’s Katy Wong:**
The United States sent faulty military items to [Taiwan](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/taiwan/) including mouldy armour and expired ammunition.
Most military equipment that suffered water damage was delivered from November 2023 through March 2024.
They remained at the aerial port of embarkation for more than three months pending air transport to Taiwan.
The army didn’t initiate requests for transportation until the end of 2023, unable to equip sufficient storage capacity. It failed to fully mitigate the exposure of items to adverse weather conditions.
The Department of Defense (DoD) failed to “effectively or efficiently implement accountability and quality controls for items delivered to Taiwan using the Presidential Drawdown Authority”, according to a report issued on Wednesday.
“The DoD provided unserviceable and poorly packaged equipment and munitions to Taiwan.”
Photos clearly show damaged pallets and mouldy body armour that arrived in Taiwan in 2023, including more than 3,000 mildewed body armour plates and 500 wet and mouldy tactical vests.
Personnel at the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said the equipment was “soaking wet and full of mould”.
According to the report, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense issued a letter to the AIT’s security cooperation office in December 2023, stating that Taiwan had received 2.7 million rounds of ammunition.
This included expired, loose, and rounds of ammunition in the wrong packaging, which did not comply with shipping standards.
AIT described the open boxes of ammunition as “obviously extra boxes” of ammunition that give an impression of the army trying to “clear out stuff they didn’t want”.
Machine guns are also shipped without proper packaging such as serviceability paperwork, labels, wrapping, and cushioning.
The National Defense Authorization Act 2023 authorised the US president to draw down up to $1 billion from existing DoD stock to provide military assistance to Taiwan.
**Article Link:** [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/09/15/us-sends-unserviceable-military-arms-to-taiwan/](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/09/15/us-sends-unserviceable-military-arms-to-taiwan/)
this is an unfortunate side effect of not buying arms from manufacturers. military aid is often old or used equipment.
Does mold compromise the integrity of ballistic plates?
Seems more like poor shipping/storage that resulted in damage. Unclear what type of ammunition they are speaking of that is expired, but brass rounds can last decades if stored properly.
Gave all the good stuff to Ukraine.
Well taiwan, if it makes you feel any better, I was in the us military and we got send broken, soggy, moldy, shoddy, and ruined stuff every now and then as well. When you move as much stuff as they do, it happens. Something will get left in the rain, or forgotten about in a field, basements flood, pipes leak, and a million other things happen. I dont know why this is even a story.
Imagine complaining about receiving stuff for free.
The battle to save Taiwan will be a naval/air force war. If the main land puts troops en masse on the island, it’s over.
Boeing products?
What ? p-40’s
I’d take mouldy body armour over no body armour. Probably give it a wipe before putting it on