The Ministry of National Defense yesterday stressed the importance of building a self-sufficient, non-China-reliant national defense industry, adding that this focus is a critical part of the ministry’s efforts to develop drone production supply chains.
Department of Strategic Planning Director Lieutenant General Huang Wen-chi (黃文?) made the remarks in an interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the sister newspaper of the Taipei Times) yesterday, stating that, as an island, Taiwan is at high risk of being blockaded and cut off from external supplies.
Fostering a self-reliant national defense industry would mitigate the threats of such blockades, he said.
Photo: Chen Pin-yu, Taipei Times
The urgency, importance and speed of equipment delivery should determine whether it is manufactured domestically or purchased from abroad, he added.
The military should prioritize support for local industries if fostering a self-reliant, autonomous national defense industry means defense equipment could be acquired locally, Huang said, adding that foreign purchases should only be considered when domestic procurement is impossible due to technological barriers, long production times or if such an acquisition is not cost-effective.
The ministry’s plan to build local drone production supply chains is an essential step toward establishing a fully decoupled supply chain from Chinese suppliers, he said.
Photo: Chen Pin-yu, Taipei Times
The Armament Bureau also plans to increase munitions production for various weapons and is fostering the necessary local industries, he added.
Taiwan should no longer be content to simply increase production capacity for the Armaments Bureau or the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology, but should instead leverage the nation’s advanced precision technology sector and strong production capacity to foster an autonomous national defense industry, Huang said.
The number of M109A7 Paladin self-propelled howitzers and High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) to be sold to Taiwan in the announcement made by US President Donald Trump’s administration on Dec. 17 last year was not less than before, but was the “most reliable estimate” that the US can provide, based on US manufacturer capability and in light of orders placed by other countries, he said.
The number of Paladin howitzers agreed for sale has fallen short of expectations, but it is the most reliable estimate of equipment that can be delivered on time, Huang said, adding that Taiwan has received all 29 sets of HIMARS previously purchased.
Acquisition of these systems would be key to the army’s transition upgrades for its units, he said, adding that the ministry would continue to maintain close contact with the US to adjust equipment purchases based on the enemy’s threat level.
Ministry spokesman Major General Sun Li-fang (孫立方) in the same interview said that if the special defense budget is not passed, the international community would begin to doubt Taiwan’s resolve to defend itself, which would have negative ramifications.
The number of Chinese jets spotted has increased by 7 percent in the past year, while the number of ships has increased by 23 percent, Sun said.
If narrowed down to Taiwan’s quick reaction zone, the number of Chinese jets has nearly doubled, he said, adding that this showed that the line between military exercise and actual invasive maneuver is increasingly blurred.
Only by increasing its capabilities quickly can Taiwan’s military show China that it should not act rashly and that such actions would come at a cost, Sun said, adding that such deterrence would pave the way for possible peace talks.
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