Exclusive – ‘Embarrassing Debacle’: Sen. Joni Ernst Demands Pentagon Explain Sending Moldy Equipment to Taiwan Dept. of Defense

Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) sent a letter to Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin on Wednesday demanding an explanation for the revelation in September that the Department of Defense sent Taiwan, an informal ally of America’s, packages of military equipment that were expired, unusable, and, in some cases, moldy.

The Department of Defense Office of the Inspector General (DoD OIG) revealed in September that an audit had discovered the Pentagon made the delivery to Taiwan of “unserviceable and poorly packaged equipment and munitions.” Some of the pallets of equipment included gear “soaking wet and covered in mold.” Others included expired ammunition and messy packages of mismatched munitions that made it difficult for the Taiwanese to fully grasp what the Pentagon sent them.

The mistake cost over $700,000 in taxpayers’ funds to correct, the oversight office revealed.

The shipments reportedly occurred between November 2023 and March 2024. President Joe Biden met with Chinese communist dictator Xi Jinping – who falsely claims Taiwan as Communist Party territory and regularly threatens to invade it – in November 2023 as the shipments began. One of the top issues Xi raised in that meeting was pressuring Biden to “stop arming Taiwan,” according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry at the time.

Sen. Ernst, addressing Secretary Austin in her letter, described the situation as an “embarrassing debacle” and demanded that Austin clarify what the Pentagon is doing to ensure that such a situation is not repeated, lest it erode international trust in the U.S. military. Sen. Ernst is also asking the Pentagon to detail where the $730,000 to make amends for the error came from exactly.

“Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have found millions for shady Chinese labs and gifted cutting-edge weapons to the Taliban but can only manage outdated ammunition and moldy equipment for Taiwan,” Sen. Ernst told Breitbart News in a statement on the necessity of her letter to Austin.

“Delivering damaged military aid to a key partner is sadly part of a dangerous pattern of incompetence by the White House that has pushed the world to the brink and jeopardized America’s national security,” she added. “We cannot afford four more years of Kamala Harris continuing to alienate key partners and allies while emboldening adversaries.”

In the letter, obtained by Breitbart News, Sen. Ernst similarly condemned the “shortcomings” of the Biden-Harris administration in addressing the threat to America from China and its unsuccessful foreign policy generally.

“This embarrassing debacle highlights shortcomings in the Biden-Harris administration’s counter-China strategy,” the senator wrote, “undermining our relationship with a key regional partner, weakening deterrence against China, and wasting hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars.”

The failures presented in the moldy shipment to Taiwan, she continued, “are particularly alarming, not only because of Taiwan’s critical role as a key security partner but also because they could impact the confidence of other U.S. allies and partners that rely on timely and reliable defense support.”

“If such issues persist, they could erode trust in U.S. defense commitments globally, undermining the security relationships the U.S. has worked to strengthen,” she warned. “This situation presents not only operational risks for Taiwan but also a broader strategic risk to U.S. credibility.”

Sen. Ernst asked Secretary Austin to explain what “steps are being taken to clarify the roles and responsibilities of all parties involved” to avoid similar embarrassments, as well as any more information on other equipment that was stored near the moldy body armor and if it is usable or was similarly damaged.

The Biden-Harris administration has maintained a chaotic policy on Taiwan – a sovereign, democratic nation that seeks an alliance with the United States, but which Washington has not recognized as a country since the time of President Jimmy Carter. Biden himself has fueled much of the confusion by repeatedly, and falsely, claiming that America has a commitment to defend Taiwan from a Chinese attack – prompting the White House to repeatedly clarify that Biden had not single-handedly rewired the mechanics of America’s decades-old Taiwan policy.

In an event with CNN in October 2021, Biden said that he would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack because “we have a commitment to do that,” without elaborating. In reality, no such commitment exists, and the White House walked back those comments. By September 2022, Biden had made similar claims at least four times, prompting similar White House official denials.

Biden’s claims to a pseudo-treaty obligation to Taiwan have occurred simultaneously with the president’s attempts to ingratiate himself with Xi, boasting of a friendship with the genocidal dictator including dozens of in-person meetings with him.

“I was on the Tibetan plateau with Xi Jinping. I traveled 17,000 miles with him. I spoke with him and it started when I was vice president and he was the vice president. We knew he was going to be the successor,” Biden boasted in 2023.

Xi peaked in threatening violence against Taiwan in 2019 – on that occasion, vowing that supporters of Taiwan’s sovereignty would have their “bones ground to powder” – but continues to regularly threaten Taiwan. Last week, Xi surfaced in Fujian province, across the strait from Taiwan, shortly after the People’s Liberation Army orchestrated menacing war games surrounding the island nation.

Follow Frances Martel on Facebook and Twitter.

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