The Legislative Yuan yesterday approved a special defense procurement budget for this year of more than NT$8.811 billion (US$280.75 million) to fund purchases of five US weapons systems.
Lawmakers also passed 35 accompanying resolutions, including a call for the government to fill a funding gap of more than NT$400 billion tied to the development of the “T-Dome” air defense system, covering procurement and commissioned production programs.
Under the special arms procurement act passed by the Legislative Yuan earlier this month, the budget would be financed through government borrowing.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
Of the budget, NT$3.9 billion would be allocated for M109A7 self-propelled howitzers, NT$2.8 billion for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), NT$1.8 billion for anti-armor drones, NT$160 million for Javelin anti-tank missiles, and NT$1.4 million for tube-launched, optically tracked, wire command link guided 2B anti-tank missiles.
The budget’s passage is in time for the HIMARS’ payment deadline tomorrow, and is the first annual installment of a broader arms procurement framework approved by lawmakers on May 8.
The framework authorizes up to NT$780 billion in spending between this year and 2033 for US arms purchases, including NT$300 billion for weapons already approved by Washington and NT$480 billion for another package that has yet to be formally announced.
Funding for both arms packages is to be appropriated through annual budgets after Taiwan receives letters of offer and acceptance from the US.
The Executive Yuan approved the first procurement budget on Wednesday last week, proposing about NT$295 billion in spending for the first batch of US arms purchases.
Democratic Progressive Party lawmakers said current regulations exclude key components needed for the “T-Dome” defense system, such as tactical networks, surveillance drones and artificial intelligence-assisted decisionmaking modules.
They warned that could undermine overall system integration and in a resolution called on the Ministry of National Defense to work with the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics and the Ministry of Finance to assess the funding gap in one month, and to consider covering it through annual budgets or supplementary budget proposals.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers expressed concerns over the operational effectiveness of the costly anti-armor drone missile systems, citing reports from the Russia-Ukraine battlefield as suggesting that the Altius drones are vulnerable to electronic interference and communication loss, as well as previous test incidents involving crashes and other performance issues.
To address that, the legislature passed a resolution requiring the defense ministry to not rely purely on US military or manufacturer data.
The armed forces must conduct live-fire tests to verify the drones’ strike capabilities and survivability in high-intensity electronic warfare environments, and submit a full report after, the resolution said.
Taiwan People’s Party lawmakers raised questions over changes in reported data for the HIMARS, saying that earlier defense ministry disclosures listed 1,203 precision rocket units, while the current special budget cites 4,320 rounds, despite the overall cost remaining largely unchanged.
The legislature has asked the ministry to explain the discrepancy within two months.
Lawmakers also passed resolutions addressing broader concerns, including a drop in the volunteer force below 80 percent of its target and projections that conscription numbers would fall below 80,000 next year — raising concerns over personnel shortages for high-tech maintenance.
Cybersecurity issues were also highlighted, including a ban on downloading China’s AMap (高德地圖) over fears it could expose tactical positions.
The defense ministry has been asked to submit a long-term recruitment plan and implementation report to avoid a situation where advanced equipment is available, but insufficiently staffed.
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