“If Taiwan's resolve for self-defense is eroded from within, outside help may never arrive.”
The warning comes from Tony Hu (胡振東), a retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel who spent decades inside the United States Department of Defense, including years overseeing Taiwan-related affairs at senior levels. Born in Taipei and later rising through the U.S. military establishment, Hu has recently emerged as a prominent voice in Taiwan's debate over national defense.
In an exclusive interview with The Storm Media, Hu described how his career tracked — and at times intersected with — the evolution of U.S.–Taiwan security relations.
From Taipei to Strategic Planning
Hu was born in Taipei in 1956 and moved to the United States at age 15. He joined the United States Air Force in 1977. Although his eyesight prevented him from becoming a pilot, his career spanned aircraft maintenance, missile operations, and later strategic planning roles.
He was first stationed in the Philippines, maintaining F-4 fighter jets. He later commanded launch crews for the LGM-30 Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile in Missouri — one of the core components of U.S. nuclear deterrence.
His Mandarin fluency proved decisive. In 1989, shortly after being promoted to captain, Hu was assigned to lead the China–Mongolia–Taiwan desk at Air Force headquarters — a portfolio typically handled by more senior officers. As U.S.–China military exchanges expanded at the time, the Air Force sought officers certified in Chinese. Hu said his language credentials created opportunities that accelerated his career.
Over time, his responsibilities expanded to include Asia-Pacific operational planning and arms sales cases involving Singapore and Taiwan. After retiring from active duty in 2004, he returned to the Pentagon as a civilian analyst. He later became the first Chinese-American senior director for Taiwan within the Office of the Secretary of Defense.
Behind the Secretary of Defense
Hu described his role as serving as institutional memory during high-level meetings.
“The Secretary is extremely busy and cannot master every historical detail,” he said. “Our job was to prepare the context.”
During meetings with Chinese or Taiwanese officials, Hu would sit directly behind the U.S. Secretary of Defense, passing handwritten notes and suggested talking points when clarification was needed. While he emphasized that policy decisions rested with political leadership, he said senior officials were aware of both his regional expertise and his personal commitment to Taiwan's security.
“America wants to help Taiwan,” he recalled being told. “And we know you want to help Taiwan too.”
A Changing U.S.–Taiwan Dynamic
Hu said the scale of U.S.–Taiwan military engagement has shifted significantly over the past two decades.
Twenty years ago, he said, the United States sent fewer than ten personnel annually to train Taiwanese forces. Today, that number has grown into the hundreds. When Hu served at the American Institute in Taiwan Taipei office in 2007 as deputy chief of the technical division, he recalled operating under strict limitations.
“Back then, there were many things we simply could not do,” he said. “Now, it seems almost everything is possible.”
He views that change as indicative of Washington's broader strategic recalibration toward Taipei amid intensifying competition with Beijing.
At the same time, Hu cautioned that external backing depends on domestic resolve. Referring to what he described as internal “fifth column” dynamics, he argued that if Taiwan's commitment to self-defense weakens, foreign support could become uncertain.
Heritage and Identity
Hu credits his early interest in aviation to his grandfather, Chiang Jianren (蔣堅忍), a former Republic of China Air Force lieutenant general and Vice Minister of National Defense. Childhood exposure to military aviation shaped his ambitions, though he stresses that professional advancement in the U.S. military depended on performance and specialization.
“I was never discriminated against because I was Taiwanese,” he said. “If anything, speaking Chinese gave me an advantage.”
Hu retired from U.S. government service in 2011 after more than three decades. He now divides his time between the United States, Brazil, and Taiwan. Reflecting on his career, he said it parallels the broader trajectory of U.S.–Taiwan relations — once cautious and constrained, now more operational and visible.
Whether that trajectory continues, he suggests, will depend not only on Washington's strategy, but on Taiwan's own choices.
