The Taiwanese Army celebrated the commissioning of the first tank battalion equipped with the new M1A2T Abrams purchased from the United States, during an official ceremony presided over by President Lai Ching-te. The event, held at the Hukou military camp, marked a new milestone in the island’s Armed Forces modernization process, which seeks to strengthen its deterrence capability in response to the increased military activity of China around the island of Taiwan.
During his speech, President Lai emphasized that the entry into service of this new unit constitutes “a fundamental step toward new training, new approach, new equipment, and new technology” for Taiwan’s Armed Forces. The unit in question is the 3rd Battalion of the 584th Combined Brigade of the Taiwanese Army, which became the first formation equipped with the new M1A2T Abrams tanks.
The commissioning of the M1A2T Abrams represents a new milestone within the program initiated in 2019, when Taipei and Washington signed the Letter of Offer and Acceptance (LOA) for a total of 108 tanks, valued at about 2 billion dollars. The contract aims to progressively replace the M60A3 Patton and CM-11 Brave Tiger tanks—a hybrid platform combining the M60A3 chassis with the M48A3 turret—both with more than three decades of service.
Despite the upgrades implemented, these units present limitations in meeting the new guidelines of the island’s defensive strategy and confronting current threats. With the arrival of the Abrams, the Taiwanese Army—which currently has around 1,000 combat vehicles, including about 450 CM-11 units and more than 400 M60A3—incorporates for the first time in over thirty years a new-generation tank, thus increasing its armored capability through a vehicle with greater protection, firepower, and compatibility with modern combat systems.
One of the most important milestones of the program was when the country received the first batch of 38 tanks in December 2024, marking the beginning of the training and instruction process for the new crews, as well as the start of the transition for several Army units. Later, as the months went by, in mid-July of last year, the U.S. completed the delivery of the second batch, composed of 42 units, raising to 80 the number of main battle tanks received. According to the delivery schedule, the third and final batch, consisting of the remaining 28 vehicles, will arrive in 2026, thus completing the agreed total of 108 units.
Lastly, the commissioning of the 3rd Battalion of the 584th Combined Brigade is also part of a broader reorganization within the Army, aimed at integrating combined arms formations with mechanized support, artillery, and air defense, following the concept of joint operations. In parallel, the Taipei government continues promoting other modernization programs to increase the resilience of its ground forces, in line with the overall strengthening of the country’s defense capabilities in the face of China’s growing military power in the Indo-Pacific region.
*Photographs: Ministry of Defense of Taiwan.
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