- A US military team is to soon travel to Taiwan, bearing
proposals for the sale of up to eight diesel electric submarines, to make
good on a promise by President George W. Bush, a Pentagon spokesman said.
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- The team, consisting of US Navy officials and members
of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, are to deliver a variety of
design and construction proposals drawn up by contractors, Lieutenant Commander
Jeff Davis said.
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- "The president made a commitment to Taiwan last
April to help it procure diesel submarines," he said. "That commitment
was made in earnest and we intend to make good on it."
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- Beijing reacted with fury last year when the Taiwanese
arms package was unveiled, but so far Taipei has not acted on offers of
submarines or four Kidd-class destroyers.
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- The United States neither owns nor builds diesel electric
submarines itself and so had been expected to turn to European contractors
for designs.
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- Davis would not identify the contractors that have submitted
proposals for the submarines or say whether they included foreign contractors.
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- "We have received a number of viable proposals from
industry," he said. "We are in the processs of reviewing and
assessing those proposals."
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- The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the development,
said both Northrop Grumman Corp. and General Dynamics Corp. have offered
"concept" proposals on how they would they would build the subs.
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