The Pentagon is reportedly preparing to station two U.S. defense personnel inside Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense headquarters, a move that would bring American officials closer to the island's defense planning and further deepen military cooperation between Washington and Taipei.

Under the reported arrangement, one official from the Pentagon's Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy and one expert from the Institute for Defense Analyses would be assigned to Taiwan on a long-term basis. They would participate in policy coordination and assessments of Taiwan's military capabilities under an expanded Taiwan-U.S. Defense Ministry Joint Cooperation Assessment program scheduled to run through 2028.

Taiwanese media reported that the program has a total budget of more than $14.7 million. Funding includes costs for U.S. personnel and consultants, travel, research equipment, data collection and interpretation for classified-level meetings.

The proposed arrangement would represent a change from much of the existing U.S. military presence in Taiwan. American personnel have already assisted Taiwan with military training and other forms of defense cooperation, but the reported deployment would put U.S. representatives directly inside Taiwan's defense ministry rather than relying primarily on cooperation through the American Institute in Taiwan, Washington's de facto diplomatic presence on the island.

The personnel could assist with broader defense planning, war games, combat-capability assessments and evaluations of major weapons purchases. Taiwan's annual Han Kuang military exercises could also be among the areas affected by the expanded cooperation, according to Taiwanese reports.

Taiwan's Defense Ministry has not confirmed the specific deployment. The ministry said Sunday that Taipei and Washington continue to expand military exchanges aimed at strengthening Taiwan's defense capabilities and resilience but did not provide details about the reported arrangement. The Pentagon has also declined to comment.

The proposal has drawn both support and criticism within Taiwan. Democratic Progressive Party lawmaker Wang Ting-yu described the reported arrangement as a significant expansion of military cooperation because U.S. personnel would work directly within the defense policymaking structure.

Opposition Kuomintang lawmaker Ma Wen-chun, however, questioned the program's growing cost and called for more information about the number of American personnel, meetings, and specific benefits Taiwan would receive from the expanded cooperation.

The reported deployment comes as Washington and Taipei continue strengthening their defense relationship amid increasing military pressure from Beijing. U.S. law already calls for expanded military education and training cooperation with Taiwan, including efforts to improve Taiwan's defense capabilities and interoperability with the United States.

The prospect of American personnel working inside Taiwan's defense headquarters could nevertheless draw a strong response from China, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory and opposes expanded U.S.-Taiwan military cooperation. Analysts cited by the South China Morning Post said Beijing could respond with additional military exercises or other pressure if the arrangement moves forward.

The reported plan has not yet been publicly confirmed by either Washington or Taipei, leaving the exact role and status of the two proposed U.S. personnel unclear.