The Legislative Yuan’s Economics Committee today failed to reach a consensus in cross-party negotiations on 14 versions of a draft uncrewed vehicle act, sending the bill to a plenary session for further deliberation.
Under the Executive Yuan’s draft version of the act, a special budget capped at NT$210 billion (US$6.58 billion) would be allocated from this year through 2031 to procure coastal surveillance drones, coastal attack drones and small kamikaze uncrewed surface vessels.
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) have proposed alternative versions of the act that would promote industry development through the annual budget rather than a special budget.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
During today’s negotiations, Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said that the KMT’s proposal broadened the definition of uncrewed vehicles to include aerial, surface, underwater and ground systems used for surveillance, attacks, logistics, communications relays, electronic warfare, decoy operations, and mine-laying or mine-clearing.
However, Article 16 of the KMT’s proposal would cap funding at NT$40 billion per year for six consecutive years through the regular budget process, for a total of NT$240 billion, Koo said.
Next fiscal year’s spending on uncrewed capabilities, excluding the three categories covered by the special act, already totals NT$31.1 billion for military purchases, commissioned production and commercial procurement, he said, citing next year’s budget plans.
If the special act is passed, the ministry plans to allocate NT$13.8 billion this year and NT$42.1 billion next year, for a combined NT$55.9 billion, far exceeding the KMT’s proposed annual cap of NT$40 billion, Koo said.
A budget of NT$40 billion would not allow the ministry to effectively build up uncrewed combat capabilities, he said, urging the KMT to reconsider Articles 15 and 16 of their proposal in light of the military’s substantial demand for uncrewed systems.
KMT caucus secretary-general Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) said that while his party supports defense self-reliance, drone technology is advancing rapidly, so procurement should be conducted in phases, with regular adjustments to maintain operational effectiveness.
The act should focus on industrial development and technological capacity-building, KMT Legislator Lai Shyh-bao (賴士葆) said, adding that any procurement provisions should be placed in a separate defense procurement chapter.
TPP Legislator Wang An-hsiang (王安祥) said his party fully supports defense self-reliance, but concerns remain over funding sources and fiscal discipline.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus chief executive Chuang Jui-hsiung (莊瑞雄) criticized the proposals put forward by the KMT and TPP, saying that while they emphasize defense self-reliance, they designate the Ministry of Economic Affairs as the competent authority and exclude the Ministry of National Defense.
While Taiwan remains embroiled in disputes over budget mechanisms, international drone manufacturers are increasingly turning to partners such as Japan, where funding is more stable and policy direction is clearer, DPP Legislator Fan Yun (范雲) said, citing research conducted by the Research Institute for Democracy, Society and Emerging Technology.
The purpose of the legislation is to enable large-scale, multi-year procurement through a special budget, DPP Legislator Chung Chia-pin (鍾佳濱) said.
“If the KMT version is not a special act and cannot use a special budget, then why legislate at all?” he asked.
TPP Legislator Hung Yu-hsiang (洪毓祥), chair of the Economics Committee, announced that the bill would be reserved for further discussion and sent to the legislative floor, along with one amendment proposed during committee review and another introduced during negotiations by the KMT caucus.
The KMT and TPP caucuses called for Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) to chair future negotiations.
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