In a recent congressional hearing, former U.S. Ambassador Joseph Cella confirmed that the Taiwanese military has been undergoing training at the National All Domain Warfighting Center located in Michigan. Cella, who previously represented the U.S. in various Pacific island nations, currently heads the Michigan China Economic Security and Review Group, an organization dedicated to addressing issues related to China.
During the House Oversight and Accountability Committee’s hearing on “China’s Political Warfare Against America,” Cella and fellow experts highlighted the significance of military cooperation between the U.S. and Taiwan. Reports from Nikkei Asia in January suggested that U.S. National Guard forces began training Taiwanese troops as early as the spring of the previous year. The Wall Street Journal later reported that the Michigan National Guard had been involved in training a group of Taiwanese soldiers, participating in multinational exercises at Camp Grayling.
Japanese media, including Sankei Shimbun and Yomiuri Shimbun, indicated last September that Taiwanese forces took part in a multinational exercise led by the Michigan National Guard in August, though the exact number of participating Taiwanese military personnel remains unclear. Moreover, several officials from the U.S. and Taiwan disclosed plans to bolster U.S. training for Taiwanese forces, proposing a training initiative for a battalion-sized unit of 600 to 800 troops at U.S. bases in California before 2025. This would represent the first occasion of U.S. training for battalion-level Taiwanese forces.
These initiatives are seen as part of a broader U.S. strategy to support Taiwan in countering potential threats from China, while also reinforcing U.S.-Taiwan cooperation as a deterrent to Chinese aggression. Over the past decade, Taiwanese military personnel have participated in National Guard exercises across Utah, Hawaii, and Washington State.
During the hearing, Representative Mulvaney, a Republican from Michigan, raised pivotal questions about these military collaborations. In her response, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Affairs, Rita Kona, indicated a preference for discussing specific aspects of military cooperation confidentially, highlighting that public discussions could be harmful to U.S. interests.
The Michigan National Guard’s website emphasizes the center’s focus on various operational domains, including land, sea, air, space, and cyberspace, and provides realistic live-fire training environments. Cella characterized Camp Grayling as the centerpiece of this initiative, responsible for delivering strategic and tactical combat training to both U.S. troops and allied forces, including those from Taiwan. It stands as the primary training facility for the Michigan National Guard and is the largest National Guard training site in the country.
Cella also raised alarms during the hearing regarding the planned factory by China’s lithium-ion battery manufacturer, Guoxuan, situated approximately 70 miles from Camp Grayling. He cautioned that this development could pose a risk to the security of U.S. military facilities, stating, “Camp Grayling is the hub of the National All Domain Warfighting Center, which trains our troops and allied forces, including Taiwan, for strategic and tactical operations.”
