The stationing of American special forces trainers in Taiwan marks the first permanent U.S. presence on the self-ruled island in 45 years.

U.S. Army Green Berets from the 1st Special Forces Group are now permanently stationed at a pair of bases of the 101st Amphibious Reconnaissance Battalion, a Taiwanese army special operations force, according to Taiwan’s United Daily News (UDN).

These instructors were sent to the outlying island counties of Penghu and Kinmen. At its closest point, Kinmen is just barely over a mile from Chinese shores.