[19990430]RS20187_台湾的国防：评估美国国防部报告《台湾海峡安全局势》.pdf

Congressional Research Service The Library of CongressCRS Report for CongressReceived through the CRS WebOrder Code RS20187April 30, 1999Taiwans Defense:Assessing The U.S. Department of Defense Report,“The Security Situation in the Taiwan Strait”Robert SutterSenior SpecialistForeign Affairs, Defense, and Trade DivisionSummaryThe 106 Congress is being called on to consider legislation on U.S. support forthTaiwans military defense needs, based in part on a congressionally-mandated U.S.Defense Department (DoD) report released in February 1999 on “The Security Situationin the Taiwan Strait.” To respond to a number of inquiries, CRS has prepared this briefanalysis of the 28-page DoD report. The DoD report provides an authoritative andstraight-forward review of the status and short term outlook of military forces on thePeoples Republic of China (PRC) and Taiwan sides of the Taiwan Strait. It concludesthat the “dynamic equilibrium” has not changed in the last 20 years. On the other hand,although the DoD report has language that can be interpreted to support no change inU.S. military support for Taiwan, much of the reports discussion suggests that Taiwansdefensive edge may be eroding as it