Lawmakers today agreed to cut NT$2 million (US$63,647) of a proposed NT$8.81 billion arms procurement package for this year, paving the way for the budget to be passed as soon as Friday.
The Legislative Yuan’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee and Finance Committee this morning completed an initial review of the Executive Yuan’s proposed procurement budget to “safeguard national security and strengthen asymmetric combat capabilities.”
The special budget was intensely debated, but ultimately the committees passed a multi-year NT$780 billion budget framework centered on arms purchases, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) said after the meeting.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
The review of this year’s NT$8.81 billion special budget is based on that foundation, and ruling and opposition parties have reached a strong understanding, making the review process very smooth, Chen said.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers had originally proposed multiple budget cuts, including more than NT$20 million for the construction and operation of garages, training facilities and maintenance plants for M109A7 self-propelled howitzers and the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS).
If the preliminary planning budget was cut amid rising labor and material costs, it could lead to failed bids, which would subsequently affect project management, construction and equipment delivery schedules, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said during the review.
After negotiations, these were consolidated into a single across-the-board reduction of NT$2 million, Chen said.
The MND said it would make the necessary internal adjustments based on these cuts, which should be fully manageable.
During the review, lawmakers raised concerns about how uncrewed systems could be affected in the future and proposed related suggestions, Chen said.
He said he would work with DPP Legislator Chung Chia-pin (鍾佳濱) to push a drone industry development bill, with the Ministry of Economic Affairs and MND collaborating to fill regulatory gaps.
The completion of the budget’s initial review marks the end of one phase, with drone legislation set to be the next key focus, he added.
Since there is already cross-party consensus on the budget, it can be submitted directly to the plenary session without cross-party negotiations, Chen said.
The bill would be added to the schedule as early as Friday, although this would depend on the final agenda, he said.
Following a six-month process to finalize the special defense act’s preliminary review, Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) told reporters after the meeting that the ministry would continue to negotiate with lawmakers to build consensus.
Asked if the NT$2 million cut to operational expenses would have an impact, Koo said the ministry could manage it through line item adjustments, adding: “I think we can handle it.”
The MND also confirmed during the meeting that the Executive Yuan approved the use of reserve funds on Monday to cover the first payment for the HIMARS, which is due by Sunday.
This ensures there would be no breach of contract or cancelation, the ministry added.
Additional reporting by Fang Wei-li
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