The Ministry of National Defense plans to spend more than NT$1.1 billion (US$36 million) to build three special operations and counterterrorism bases over three years for use by the navy and the military police, the ministry’s budget for next year showed.
The navy is to build a multifunctional special operations training base for NT$698.04 million and a maritime special operations training base for NT$134.25 million, while NT$269.21 million has been reserved for a joint special operations training base for the military police, the document said.
The multifunctional base, which is to be equipped with computers that can simulate training scenarios, is slated for use by the Special Service Squadron of the marine corps’ Amphibious Reconnaissance and Patrol Unit, it said.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
The program is to have a NT$11.42 million budget next year and base construction should be completed in 2022, it said.
The maritime base is to be used for improving formational and individual combat skills, as well as enhancing amphibious assault and special operations capabilities, it said.
The base is to have facilities for air insertion training and hostage rescue drills on ships, vehicles and airplanes, it said, adding that the base could accommodate the training needs of other military units.
The ministry is to spend NT$4.51 million constructing the maritime base next year and completion is scheduled for 2021, it said.
The joint training base is slated for use by the military police, which has an important role in the defense of Taipei, security operations and urban warfare.
The base is to be capable of simulating conventional military combat, as well as special operations in modern built-up areas, for training of military and regular police units, it said.
The joint training base is to be allotted NT$2.12 million for the portion of the program scheduled for next year and is expected to be completed in 2022, it said.
Separately, the navy next month is to commission two Perry-class guided missile frigates that were bought from the US.
Navy Chief of Staff Vice Admiral Lee Tsung-hsiao (李宗孝) yesterday told the legislature that training and preparations are under way for the commissioning of the two vessels.
When asked how the ships would improve the nation’s defense capability, Lee said that the Perry-class’ anti-submarine capabilities are superior to those of the navy’s eight Cheng Kung-class frigates.
The two frigates, built in the 1980s and named the USS Taylor and USS Gary by the US Navy, were delivered in May last year.
Renamed Ming Chuan (銘傳) and Feng Chia (逢甲), they are to join the navy’s 146th Fleet based in Penghu and would be deployed on patrols in the Taiwan Strait, the navy said.
The vessels are highly mobile and equipped with SQQ-89 undersea warfare combat systems and SQR-19 sonar systems, both of which the navy said would bolster their anti-submarine capabilities.
In December 2014, then-US president Barack Obama authorized the sale of four Perry-class frigates to Taiwan.
The government allocated about NT$5.5 billion for the purchase of two of the ships.
LONG FLIGHT: The jets would be flown by US pilots, with Taiwanese copilots in the two-seat F-16D variant to help familiarize them with the aircraft, the source said The US is expected to fly 10 Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 70/72 jets to Taiwan over the coming months to fulfill a long-awaited order of 66 aircraft, a defense official said yesterday. Word that the first batch of the jets would be delivered soon was welcome news to Taiwan, which has become concerned about delays in the delivery of US arms amid rising military tensions with China. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said the initial tranche of the nation’s F-16s are rolling off assembly lines in the US and would be flown under their own power to Taiwan by way
‘OF COURSE A COUNTRY’: The president outlined that Taiwan has all the necessary features of a nation, including citizens, land, government and sovereignty President William Lai (賴清德) discussed the meaning of “nation” during a speech in New Taipei City last night, emphasizing that Taiwan is a country as he condemned China’s misinterpretation of UN Resolution 2758. The speech was the first in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. It is the responsibility of Taiwanese citizens to stand united to defend their national sovereignty, democracy, liberty, way of life and the future of the next generation, Lai said. This is the most important legacy the people of this era could pass on to future generations, he said. Lai went on to discuss
OBJECTS AT SEA: Satellites with synthetic-aperture radar could aid in the detection of small Chinese boats attempting to illegally enter Taiwan, the space agency head said Taiwan aims to send the nation’s first low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite into space in 2027, while the first Formosat-8 and Formosat-9 spacecraft are to be launched in October and 2028 respectively, the National Science and Technology Council said yesterday. The council laid out its space development plan in a report reviewed by members of the legislature’s Education and Culture Committee. Six LEO satellites would be produced in the initial phase, with the first one, the B5G-1A, scheduled to be launched in 2027, the council said in the report. Regarding the second satellite, the B5G-1B, the government plans to work with private contractors
MISSION: The Indo-Pacific region is ‘the priority theater,’ where the task of deterrence extends across the entire region, including Taiwan, the US Pacific Fleet commander said The US Navy’s “mission of deterrence” in the Indo-Pacific theater applies to Taiwan, Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Stephen Koehler told the South China Sea Conference on Tuesday. The conference, organized by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), is an international platform for senior officials and experts from countries with security interests in the region. “The Pacific Fleet’s mission is to deter aggression across the Western Pacific, together with our allies and partners, and to prevail in combat if necessary, Koehler said in the event’s keynote speech. “That mission of deterrence applies regionwide — including the South China Sea and Taiwan,” he
RSS