President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday said his administration would unveil a special budget for investing in domestic asymmetric weapons production and supply chain resilience to counter the military threat posed by China.
Lai made the remarks in a post on Facebook commemorating the Battle of Guningtou (古寧頭戰役) in 1949, saying that the nation has endured to this day because its people came together to defend it regardless of ethnicity or political opinions.
Taiwan would honor the fallen heroes from 76 years ago by providing the strongest possible support to troops serving today, he said.
Photo: Screen grab from the Presidential Office’s Flickr page
Citing his address during this year’s Double Ten National Day celebrations, Lai said that the government remains committed to the defense policy priorities outlined in his speech, as well as to improving service members’ pay and living conditions.
The administration is working on a proposed “T-Dome,” a multi-layered air defense system with high detection and interception capabilities, to safeguard Taiwanese’s lives and properties, he said.
The armed forces are to integrate new technology in warfighting, including fielding drones in large numbers, forging a fast and flexible mobilization system, and maximizing the deterrence value of asymmetric capabilities, he said.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of National Defense
The government is soon to propose a budget for investing in asymmetric warfare capabilities and defense resilience, to create a defense industrial base capable of independently developing and mass-producing asymmetric systems, especially drones, Lai said.
The budget bill would include provisions on public-private cooperation in indigenous research and development, production at scale and securing supply chains, he said.
Under the plan, Taiwan would establish itself as a trustworthy partner for its friends and allies in joint defense industry projects, he added.
In other news, the army yesterday began its Lu Sheng 1 (陸勝, “Land Victory”) exercise, during which two combined-arms brigades would engage in simulated combat for seven days.
The drills are part of a military-wide drive to improve joint warfare capabilities, decentralize command and control, and train troops under realistic conditions, the Army Command Headquarters said.
Commanders taking part in the exercise have been instructed to sharpen the fighting skills of their units while keeping enemy capabilities in mind at all times, it added.
Lu Shen 1 focuses on participants’ proficiency in newly introduced tactics and equipment — including drones, and command and control systems — managing logistics, and fighting in cities, among other core competencies, the army said.
Additional reporting by Fang Wei-li
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