The government is planning a special budget, estimated at up to NT$500 billion (US$16.5 billion), for military purchases from the US, a high-level government official said yesterday on condition of anonymity.
The planned special budget would be in addition to a draft special act aimed at bolstering economic, national security and social resilience, they added, referring to Executive Yuan spokeswoman Michelle Lee’s (李慧芝) call on Wednesday for the Legislative Yuan to support the Cabinet-proposed special act, which has set aside NT$150 billion to bolster national defense resilience. The NT$150 billion is part of the NT$410 billion that the Executive Yuan proposed on April 24 in response to ramped-up US tariffs.
The Ministry of National Defense (MND) is still in talks with the Executive Yuan on the budget amount and in talks with the US on what equipment to purchase, and the actual budget amount has not been set, the official said.
Photo: Reuters
The ministry is looking at about NT$300 billion to NT$500 billion, which would be over five years, they said, adding that the budget plan would be delivered to the Legislative Yuan before the next legislative session.
The special budget amount was set to meet the goal of increasing annual defense spending to 3 percent of GDP, they added.
For this fiscal year, the Cabinet had earmarked NT$647 billion for national defense, amounting to 2.45 percent of GDP.
President William Lai (賴清德) has pledged to propose a special budget to raise defense spending to more than 3 percent of GDP.
In March, then-US undersecretary of defense for policy nominee Elbridge Colby during a confirmation hearing at the US Senate Committee on Armed Services said Taipei should raise defense spending closer to 10 percent of GDP.
The official remained tight-lipped regarding what kind of equipment would be purchased with the special budget — such as E-2D Hawkeye aircraft — adding that the details would be made known when it is finalized.
Regarding the NT$150 billion from the proposed NT$410 billion for bolstering national defense resilience, Lee has said the Executive Yuan hopes to use it to increase budgets for the Coast Guard Administration to build new ships capable of conducting patrolling duties during inclement weather and reinforce the coast guard’s capabilities in countering China’s “gray zone” tactics.
Uncrewed aerial vehicles of different types are to be acquired under the budget to bolster patrolling capabilities in the littoral regions and up to 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the coast, she said.
The budget would also fund the establishment of a collaborative platform for the military to consolidate information from multiple sources, providing improved and encrypted communications in real-time with units, she said.
The budget would also fund the building of data centers for data redundancy that would allow core military functions to continue operations in times of emergency, Lee said, adding that the budget would also fund efforts to ensure the stable operations of servers, systems and services.
MAKING WAVES: China’s maritime militia could become a nontraditional threat in war, clogging up shipping lanes to prevent US or Japanese intervention, a report said About 1,900 Chinese ships flying flags of convenience and fishing vessels that participated in China’s military exercises around Taiwan last month and in January last year have been listed for monitoring, Coast Guard Administration (CGA) Deputy Director-General Hsieh Ching-chin (謝慶欽) said yesterday. Following amendments to the Commercial Port Act (商港法) and the Law of Ships (船舶法) last month, the CGA can designate possible berthing areas or deny ports of call for vessels suspected of loitering around areas where undersea cables can be accessed, Oceans Affairs Council Minister Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) said. The list of suspected ships, originally 300, had risen to about
DAREDEVIL: Honnold said it had always been a dream of his to climb Taipei 101, while a Netflix producer said the skyscraper was ‘a real icon of this country’ US climber Alex Honnold yesterday took on Taiwan’s tallest building, becoming the first person to scale Taipei 101 without a rope, harness or safety net. Hundreds of spectators gathered at the base of the 101-story skyscraper to watch Honnold, 40, embark on his daredevil feat, which was also broadcast live on Netflix. Dressed in a red T-shirt and yellow custom-made climbing shoes, Honnold swiftly moved up the southeast face of the glass and steel building. At one point, he stepped onto a platform midway up to wave down at fans and onlookers who were taking photos. People watching from inside
Japan’s strategic alliance with the US would collapse if Tokyo were to turn away from a conflict in Taiwan, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said yesterday, but distanced herself from previous comments that suggested a possible military response in such an event. Takaichi expressed her latest views on a nationally broadcast TV program late on Monday, where an opposition party leader criticized her for igniting tensions with China with the earlier remarks. Ties between Japan and China have sunk to the worst level in years after Takaichi said in November that a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could bring about a Japanese
STREAMLINED: The dedicated funding would allow the US to transfer equipment to Taiwan when needed and order upgraded replacements for stockpiles, a source said The US House of Representatives on Thursday passed a defense appropriations bill totaling US$838.7 billion, of which US$1 billion is to be allocated to reinforcing security cooperation with Taiwan and US$150 million to replace defense articles provided to the nation. These are part of the Consolidated Appropriation Act, which the US House yesterday passed with 341 votes in favor and 88 against. The act must be passed by the US Senate before Friday next week to avoid another government shutdown. The US House Committee on Appropriations on Monday unveiled the act, saying that it allocates US$1 billion for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative
RSS