Taiwan developing multilayered defense

MULTIPLE FACTORS: Personnel, training, system integration and the ability to sustain combat readiness are essential to effective combat capabilities, the vice president said

• By Jake Chung / Staff writer, with CNA

• • Add TT as Preferred Source

  • 

  • 

  • 

Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) yesterday said Taiwan is working to bolster its defenses against rapidly evolving threats by developing multilayered air defenses, integrating emerging technologies and building a fully non-red drone supply chain.

Taiwan has learned from the Russian invasion of Ukraine about the need for multilayered defenses and a rapid technology feedback loop to make cost-effective adjustments as threats and tactics evolve, she said at the Taipei Security Dialogue.

The Middle East conflict has highlighted the importance of cost-effective air defense systems and counter-drone capabilities, she added.

Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim speaks at the Taipei Security Dialogue yesterday.

Photo: Tien Yu-hua, Taipei Times

Artificial intelligence (AI) applications in intelligence analysis, target selection, interception and logistics warrant further study, she said.

These lessons point to the need for the T-Dome project, which aims to link the detection and interception capabilities of a multilayered air defense network, Hsiao said.

Its effectiveness would depend on integrating high-end and low-cost sensors and interceptors, AI-assisted rapid decisionmaking, trained operators and the ability to continue operating after severe damage, she added.

Weapons delivery is only one step toward developing effective combat capabilities, Hsiao said, adding that personnel, training, system integration and the ability to sustain combat readiness are all essential.

Disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz and the Taiwan Strait show that interference with maritime activity have economic effects far beyond coastal areas, making maritime domain awareness an increasingly important area of international cooperation, she said.

Sharing intelligence with partners and using open-source intelligence tools, commercial satellite imagery, ship tracking data and other public information can improve situational awareness, identify threat patterns and document coercive activities, she said.

The National Security Council and Ocean Affairs Council are working with international partners to identify ways to counter maritime coercion, Hsiao said, citing undersea cables — which carry communications supporting financial transactions, business operations and public services — as an example of infrastructure requiring protection.

Taiwan’s strengths in semiconductors, information and communications technology, and precision manufacturing should be more closely linked to national defense, allowing military operators, researchers and companies to work together, Hsiao said.

The government has submitted a special budget proposal for drone procurement, with coastal surveillance and reconnaissance drones, coastal attack drones and uncrewed attack boats to be domestically manufactured, she said.

Drone production and procurement must use fully non-red supply chains, she added.

Separately, Chiayi County Commissioner Weng Chang-liang (翁章梁), and representatives from Taiwan’s drone industry and research sectors visited Poland on Monday and signed a memorandum of understanding with the Pomerania Development Agency.

Taiwan-Poland drone industry ties have deepened over the past few years, and Chiayi hopes to expand cooperation and enter new markets, Weng said.

Chiayi began developing its drone industry in 2020 and is building a supply chain, from research and testing to manufacturing, he said.

The agency said companies from both sides discussed drone manufacturing, systems integration, AI, uncrewed vehicles, defense technology and supply chains, seeking complementary capabilities and future business and technical cooperation.