Taiwan-US defense research exchanges have been elevated to a “semi-official” level, according to the Institute for National Defense and Security Research’s annual report to the Legislative Yuan.

Last year, the institute was invited by the US Indo-Pacific Command to participate in discussions about the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) military strategy against Taiwan. This invitation underscores the importance the US Indo-Pacific Command places on Taiwan’s responses to the evolving situation in the Taiwan Strait.

The report also noted that for the first time, the institute was invited to trilateral talks with Japanese and US officials, including members of the US Department of Defense’s Defense Threat Reduction Agency.

As Taiwan’s only official defense think tank, the institute engaged in exchanges with think tanks from Australia, Europe, Japan, South Korea, the US, and other countries last year. These exchanges often included active-duty military personnel and officials.

For instance, the institute participated in an electronic warfare symposium at the invitation of the Association of Old Crows and the US Indo-Pacific Command. The symposium also discussed the US redefining information warfare in response to current trends.

DOD officials at these exchanges explored whether the US and Japan would intervene in a Taiwan Strait conflict, the nature of such intervention, and how to send deterrent signals to China.

Additionally, the institute joined a defense ministry delegation that attended a military exercise on “gray zone” tactics with the US think tank RAND Corp. The results of this exercise were presented at the Taiwan-US Monterey Talks later in the year.