US Congress to expedite weapons shipments

The US Congress is looking to expedite weapons shipments to Taiwan in order to fill a $14 billion backlog in arms sales to the self-governing island, according to House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Gregory Meeks. In an interview with Defense News published on Tuesday, the New York Democrat said that US lawmakers are “working on bills now to help expedite and to reduce red tape to get defense items that are needed out in a quicker fashion,” citing unfulfilled arms shipments to Taiwan, as well as to countries such as Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. Senators are now looking to reform the review process for foreign weapons shipments, primarily the part requiring an assessment of whether such deliveries can end up in the wrong hands and pose a threat to US national security interests.