SIGNAL — USTBC 9th Annual Defense Delegation to Taiwan: Gen. (Ret.) Charles Flynn Leads 41-Member Industry Group

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USTBC 9th Annual Defense Delegation to Taiwan — Gen. (Ret.) Charles A. Flynn

Source: LinkedIn post by Rupert Hammond-Chambers, President, US-Taiwan Business Council (USTBC)
LinkedIn URL: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/rupert-hammond-chambers-06447611_how-blessed-we-were-to-have-gen-r-charlie-ugcPost-7468024124548890624-iVUQ/
Date of Post: Approximately June 2, 2026 (following conclusion of delegation May 26–29, 2026)

Delegation Overview

The US-Taiwan Business Council (USTBC) conducted its 9th annual defense delegation to Taiwan from May 26 to 29, 2026, in Taipei, Taiwan (US-Taiwan Business Council, 2026, May 24). The delegation comprised 41 senior executives from the U.S. defense industry — the largest delegation in the event’s history (Lin, 2026, May 29). USTBC President Rupert Hammond-Chambers and Executive Vice President Lotta Danielsson organized the visit (Minnick, 2026, June 1).

Delegation Head: Gen. (Ret.) Charles A. Flynn

Gen. (Ret.) Charles A. Flynn served as the Commanding General of United States Army Pacific (USARPAC), Fort Shafter, Hawaii, from June 2021 to 2024 (Association of the United States Army, n.d.). Prior to USARPAC, he served as deputy chief of staff of the Army for operations, plans and training. He holds a master’s degree in national security and strategic studies from the U.S. Naval War College and a master’s degree in joint campaign planning and strategy from the National Defense University (Association of the United States Army, n.d.). Flynn is a Senior Advisor at Palantir Technologies (Minnick, 2026, June 1).

Flynn has a documented history of engagement with Taiwan’s defense posture. In July 2025, he observed Taiwan’s Han Kuang military exercises, including a review of defense deployments along the Tamsui River (Focus Taiwan, 2025, July 12). He has publicly called for “creative ways” to include Taiwan in joint military exercises to strengthen interoperability with U.S. partners (Focus Taiwan, 2025, July 12).

Delegation Activities (May 26–29, 2026)

The delegation’s stated objectives included:

  • Strengthening bilateral defense cooperation between the United States and Taiwan
  • Bolstering Taiwan’s self-defense capabilities
  • Accelerating delivery of U.S. arms to Taiwan
  • Advancing Taiwan’s indigenous weapons development programs
  • Exploring supply chain integration and co-production opportunities (US-Taiwan Business Council, 2026, May 24)

The delegation met with senior Taiwan government officials responsible for political, military, and security issues (US-Taiwan Business Council, 2026, May 24). Meetings included Taiwan Legislative Yuan Speaker Han Kuo-yu (Minnick, 2026, June 1). The delegation also toured centers of defense innovation and think tanks (US-Taiwan Business Council, 2026, May 24).

On May 28, 2026, the delegation participated in the 2026 Taiwan-U.S. Defense Industry Forum, co-hosted by USTBC and the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) at the Taipei World Trade Center (Lin, 2026, May 29).

Statements at the 2026 Taiwan-U.S. Defense Industry Forum

Gen. Flynn stated at the forum that he had not sensed hesitation from the U.S. business sector regarding Taiwan cooperation, despite concerns about U.S.-China diplomatic talks and Trump administration remarks on arms sales to Taiwan (Lin, 2026, May 29). He attributed rapid growth in participating companies to expanding market opportunities and geopolitical urgency in the defense sector (Lin, 2026, May 29). Flynn praised Taiwan President William Lai’s administration for progress in military training, investment, organizational reform, and adoption of new technologies (Lin, 2026, May 29).

In the USTBC press release, Flynn stated:

The conflicts in Europe and the Middle East have made one thing crystal clear: we must integrate conventional and asymmetric capabilities to deter aggression and, if necessary, defeat it decisively. Taiwan cannot afford to wait—they must ready themselves for any cross-Strait contingency. (US-Taiwan Business Council, 2026, May 24)

Flynn declined to comment at a press Q&A on the presence of U.S. Army 1st Special Forces Group (Green Berets), formerly under his command, who are training and observing Taiwanese special forces in Taiwan (Minnick, 2026, June 1).

TAITRA Chairman James Huang stated that the Taiwan-U.S. relationship is shifting from a traditional arms sales and procurement model toward a strategic industrial partnership (Lin, 2026, May 29). He cited Taiwan’s industrial foundation in semiconductors, ICT, and low Earth orbit satellites as convertible for defense applications including drones, AI identification, and satellite communications (Lin, 2026, May 29).

USTBC President Rupert Hammond-Chambers stated that the delegation had grown from seven members initially to 41 in 2026, and that he had “never seen such a high level of interest in engaging with Taiwan” (Lin, 2026, May 29). Hammond-Chambers characterized the U.S.-Taiwan partnership as targeting not only the Taiwanese market but also the U.S. and global markets (Lin, 2026, May 29).

Rupert Hammond-Chambers — Background

Rupert Hammond-Chambers is the President of the US-Taiwan Business Council (USTBC) and a Senior Advisor at BowerGroupAsia (BGA) (BowerGroupAsia, n.d.). He was born and raised in Edinburgh, Scotland, and emigrated to the United States in 1987. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in History and Theology from Denison University (1991) (BowerGroupAsia, n.d.).

Hammond-Chambers joined the US-Taiwan Business Council in October 1994, was promoted to Vice President in March 1998, and was elected President in November 2000 (U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, 2010). Prior to joining USTBC, he served as Associate for Development at the Center for Security Policy, a defense and foreign policy think tank in Washington, D.C., from April 1993 (U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, 2010).

He is a board member of The Project 2049 Institute, a trustee of Fettes College, and a member of the National Committee on United States-China Relations (BowerGroupAsia, n.d.). He also sits on the board of The Institute for Indo-Pacific Security (Hammond-Chambers, 2025, December 1).

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rupert-hammond-chambers-06447611
X (Twitter): @RJHCUSTBC

USTBC Institutional Background

The US-Taiwan Business Council (USTBC) was founded in 1976 in Chicago, Illinois, as a membership-based nonprofit association to foster trade and business relations between the United States and Taiwan (US-Taiwan Business Council, 2026, February 20). The Council celebrated its 50th anniversary on February 20, 2026 (US-Taiwan Business Council, 2026, February 20). USTBC has conducted annual defense delegations to Taiwan since at least 2018, with the 2026 event being the 9th in the series (US-Taiwan Business Council, 2026, May 24).

References