Military readying to put budget to work

DOING THE SPADEWORK: The Ministry of National Defense wants as little delay as possible executing plans such as launching operational drone units, an official said

• By Jake Chung / Staff writer, with CNA

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The Ministry of National Defense (MND) is preparing the administrative work for several projects ahead of legislative approval, a senior military official said yesterday.

MND Comptroller’s Office Budget Division Director-General Major General Yen Ming-te (嚴明德) said the ministry hopes expedited passage of the defense budget would allow it to accelerate procurement and achieve initial operational capability for its drone units next year.

The Executive Yuan proposed an additional NT$145.7 billion (US$4.57 billion) on Sept. 3 for weapons procurement and other combat requirements. The proposal allocates NT$64.5 billion.

Ministry of National Defense deputy spokesman Major General Chiao Fu-chun speaks at a news conference in Taipei yesterday.

Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times

Yen said the ministry is completing the preliminary administrative procedures so procurement can begin immediately after legislative approval. The ministry would work with legislators and caucuses to seek expedited passage, he said.

Asked about reports that the decommissioned corvette Ching Chiang (金江) could be transferred to the Philippines, defense ministry deputy spokesman Major General Chiao Fu-chun (喬福駿) declined to comment.

The speculation was stirred by a report in the Chinese-language United Daily News on Tuesday that Taiwan could transfer the 500-tonne corvette to the Philippines after its decommissioning at the end of this year.

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ma Wen-chun (馬文君) expressed concern that donating the warship could undermine the safety of Taiwanese fishing crews at sea where the exclusive economic zones (EEZ) of the countries overlap.

Although the ship would be disarmed before the transfer, it could be re-armed by the Philippine military and used against Taiwanese fishing crews, Ma, a member of the Legislative Yuan’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, wrote in a social media post on Tuesday.

Chiao said decisions on providing decommissioned military equipment as foreign aid are part of the government’s broader diplomatic policies.

Separately, Navy Command Headquarters Vice Admiral Chu Hui-min (朱惠民) said the Navy has enough RIM-66 SM2 surface-to-air missiles to meet wartime requirements, despite some missiles nearing the end of their service lives.

Chu also said the indigenously developed Hai Kun (Narwhal, 海鯤) submarine remains at CSBC Corp’s shipyard undergoing equipment inspections and calibration.

The submarine would undergo sea trials according to established procedures, he said, adding that no delivery date has been set and that safety and quality would take priority.

Chiao said the defense ministry is in close contact with Washington concerning delays to a US$14 billion US arms package, and is working to expedite the process through established channels.

He added that the defense ministry and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had received assurances through various channels that US policy toward Taiwan remains unchanged and that security cooperation continues under the Taiwan Relations Act and “six assurances.”

Separately, the military is working to replenish its ammunition stockpiles, including through a NT$11.03 billion procurement of Stinger surface-to-air missiles.

The army had originally planned to spread the NT$11 billion Stinger procurement over six years, from this fiscal year to 2031, but the latest budget shortens that to five years, ending in 2030.

The accelerated schedule could indicate easing production constraints in the US, potentially allowing Taiwan to receive thousands of additional Stinger missiles between 2028 and 2030 and thicken its air defenses.