The Executive Yuan today advanced a NT$1.25-trillion (US$39.9 billion) special defense budget plan announced by President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday, explicitly citing “military threats from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)” for the first time.
Article 1 of the bill states that the law is being enacted to counter the sustained growth of the CCP’s military threats by acquiring weapons and equipment that would enhance the armed forces’ defensive resilience and asymmetric capabilities.
This would include building a “Taiwan dome,” an air defense system with high-level detection and interception capabilities, using high-tech systems and artificial intelligence to speed up the kill chain, and building a "non-red" supply chain by investing in the national defense industry, the Ministry of National Defense said.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
The bill lists seven major procurement categories: precision artillery; long-range precision-strike missiles; unmanned vehicles and counter-unmanned systems; air-defense, anti-ballistic missile and anti-armor missile systems; artificial intelligence-assisted command, control, communications, computers, combat systems, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C5ISR) systems; equipment to enhance sustained combat endurance and equipment; and systems jointly developed or procured with the US.
Taiwan should strengthen its resolve and capacity for self-defense to counter China’s military expansion, Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) told a press conference this morning.
The total spending is to be funded through special budgets and not to be subject to Article 23 of the Budget Act (預算法) that restricts the use of capital for recurrent expenditures, according to the bill.
Required funding may be drawn from prior-year budget surpluses or raised through borrowing, with annual borrowing limits exempted from restrictions under Article 5-7 of the Public Debt Act (公共債務法).
The special ordinance and special budgets are to take effect on the date of promulgation and remain in force until Dec. 31, 2033.
If any contracted programs remain unexecuted by that date, the Executive Yuan may approve limited extensions solely for contract fulfillment and final payment phases, while no new procurement items may be added.
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