On July 2, eight staff members from both chambers of the U.S. Congress visited the Democracy, DSET for an exchange on Taiwan’s strategic challenges and initiatives across key sectors, including unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), artificial intelligence governance, energy resilience, and semiconductor supply chains.
DSET shared findings from its latest National Security Division report, “Drones for Democracy: U.S.-Taiwan Cooperation in Building a Resilient and China-Free UAV Supply Chain,” which outlines Taiwan’s ban on Chinese-made drones in all government procurement and its active efforts to partner with the U.S. and other democratic allies to strengthen domestic manufacturing, reduce costs, and decrease reliance on Chinese components.
The report highlights that although Taiwan possesses strong manufacturing capabilities in motors, batteries, and airframe modules, it has yet to secure any U.S. federal government drone contracts. Only one Taiwanese company has been awarded a state-level public safety drone procurement. Taiwan exported just 300 drones to the U.S. in the second half of 2023, and since mid-2024, export markets have shifted toward Europe, with Poland, Germany, and the Czech Republic becoming primary destinations.
Following the report’s publication, the Trump administration issued an executive order prioritizing the procurement of U.S.-made drones. DSET cautioned that this policy could pose challenges to U.S.-Taiwan drone collaboration despite shared strategic objectives.
In response to questions about Taiwan’s Defense Innovation Office (DIO), DSET’s National Security Division explained how Taiwan is learning from the U.S. Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), particularly regarding agile procurement processes and certification standards. Taiwan is also exploring ways to obtain DIU’s “Blue UAS Cleared List” certification—an increasingly critical benchmark for Ministry of National Defense procurement.
On export controls, the delegation engaged in dialogue on potential U.S. legislative developments. DSET’s Deputy Director for Economic Security, Mr. Ming-Yen Chiang, noted that Taiwan has recently designated Huawei and SMIC on its own Entity List, becoming the second country after the U.S. to take this step—demonstrating its commitment to closer export control cooperation.
The delegation also received a briefing on Taiwan’s electricity contingency simulations in the event of energy disruptions. In the area of AI governance, DSET called for the establishment of a shared framework among democratic nations to assess the risks of China-origin AI technologies, emphasizing the importance of collaboration among small and medium-sized democracies in shaping future tech governance.
Delegation members included senior staff from both Democratic and Republican offices in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives:
- Mr. Matt Perricone, Chief of Staff to Rep. Dan Meuser (R-PA)
- Mr. Gregory Buchanan, Legislative Assistant to Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX)
- Mr. Kevin Fox, Deputy Chief of Staff to Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA)
- Ms. Miranda Ganter, Legislative Director to Rep. Jahana Hayes (D-CT)
- Ms. Naajidah Khan, Military Legislative Assistant to Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-TX)
- Ms. Andrea Morales, Press Secretary to Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL)
- Mr. Jack Reineke, Legislative Assistant to Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY)
- Ms. Wei Li Werner, Legislative Assistant to Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA)
