The move is expected to rile rival China as it would mark closer military ties between Washington and the island which Beijing claims as part of its territory.

From the middle of 2005 active duty military personnel will replace civilian contractors at Washington's effective diplomatic mission in Taipei, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), the weekly said in an article to be published on Wednesday.

US army Colonel Al Wilner, a former helicopter pilot, will be the first to arrive, Jane's Taipei correspondent Wendell Minnick told AFP Sunday.

The move marks a crucial reversal of the US defense department's long-standing policy of not assigning military officers to the island, the weekly said.

"Washington has become less concerned over any potential protest from Beijing amid growing unease over China's military ambitions in the Asia Pacific region," it said.

Washington switched its diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979, but has since remained the leading arms supplier to the island.

With a lack of diplomatic ties, military affairs between Washington and Taipei have been handled by contractors working for the US Defense Intelligence Agency and Defense Security Co-ordination Agency.

Jane's says the change results from a bill passed by the US Congress in 2002 allowing for the posting of US military personnel to Taiwan if it is deemed to be "in the national interest of the United States."

US government employees, including military personnel, are currently required to retire before they can be hired by the US mission in Taipei.

US personnel assigned to the mission will not wear uniforms and will serve for three years, compared with the two-year term offered to civilian contractors, the weekly says.

The change should also cut costs as civilian employees are higher paid.

The report comes as the Taiwanese government is pushing for a controversial special defense budget to purchase six US-made Pac-3 anti-missile systems, eight conventional submarines and a fleet of submarine-hunting P-3C aircraft, over a 15-year period from 2005.

The budget, already approved by the cabinet, has met opposition in parliament.

Some critics say Taiwan cannot afford the massive arms spending while others say the new weaponry will not be delivered in time to help the island fend off any attack from China in coming years.

Others say it could fuel an arms race with Beijing, which regards the island as a renegade province and has vowed to retake it by force if Taipei declares formal independence.

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