The Ministry of National Defense has requested that the US push back the payment deadline for additional High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) approved for sale to Taiwan, as funding for the systems remain in limbo, a defense official said yesterday.
The legislature earlier this month passed a motion authorizing the Cabinet to sign the letter of acceptance for the HIMARS before the deadline, which was on Thursday, but the ministry said it is likely to miss the first payment for the systems due on Monday.
The ministry’s Department of Strategic Planning has requested that the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency push back the deadline, but there did not seem to be much flexibility on the date, Deputy Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) said yesterday.
Photo: CNA
The ministry has instructed the department to continue seeking US approval for a delay in payment, he said, but added that even if a deferral is granted, the ministry would still remain unable to pay for it until the Legislative Yuan passes a special defense budget bill.
The HIMARS approved by the US are valued at US$4.05 billion.
Hsu did not disclose what percentage of that amount would have to be paid in the first installment.
Photo courtesy of the Presidential Office
The Cabinet, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party submitted their own special defense budget proposals to cover US-approved arms sales, including the HIMARS, due to disagreement over the budget’s scope.
The Cabinet’s version called for the most funding, at NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.21 billion), but the opposition said that was too far from the US$11.1 billion arms sales the US approved in December last year.
The proposals were sent to cross-caucus negotiations after lawmakers from the three parties during a Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee meeting on Thursday failed to reach a consensus on the scope of procurement and the size of the special budget.
The ministry is willing to listen to lawmakers’ opinions on the special budget, Hsu said.
However, the Cabinet’s version, which was planned by the ministry, was most reflective of Taiwan’s comprehensive defense needs based on military developments in China, he added.
In related news, President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday inspected the National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) and said the government’s efforts to bolster national power is focused on three key areas: defense capabilities, economic resilience and whole-of-nation defense.
He urged the NCSIST to maintain its professionalism and dedication to its mission, continue developing technologies to achieve defense self-reliance and work with the international community to bolster defense resilience, ensuring greater national security.
A national security official, who wished to remain anonymous, said the president’s visit to NCSIST sends a strong policy and strategic signal, making it clear to the public that the government places great importance on defense self-reliance and the development of asymmetric combat capabilities.
Additional reporting by Su Yung-yao
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