MNA

President Lai Ching-te visited the Fourth Theater of Operations this morning to inspect littoral-strike and coastal-defense drills conducted as part of the field-training phase of the “Han Kuang 42 Exercise.” He encouraged Armed Forces and Coast Guard personnel to respond proactively and strengthen their coordination during the exercise so that they are prepared for every contingency. The President first arrived at Haijiao Camp to inspect an “emergency preparation for war” sortie drill. He boarded Kuang Hua VI-class Missile Boat No. 64, where, from the bridge, he received briefings on the exercise scenario and pre-departure preparations. He also addressed Navy and Coast Guard personnel over the vessel’s public-address system. President Lai then proceeded to the Chaishan combat-readiness road, where he boarded a command vehicle for an overview of the “littoral-strike” concept. He subsequently visited Taoziyuan Beach to inspect a “coastal-defense” drill and receive briefings on the equipment carried by special operations forces and the battlefield situation. Speaking over the vessel’s public-address system, President Lai said he was on the bridge of Missile Boat No. 64, whose crew had received orders to make an emergency sortie and conduct a littoral-strike mission. He explained that the Han Kuang Exercise uses “actual personnel, locations, timing, equipment, and operations” to test command coordination, immediate combat response, and homeland defense capabilities. President Lai said that in the face of external threats and challenges, the government continues working to strengthen Taiwan’s defense capabilities and provide the fullest possible support to Armed Forces and Coast Guard personnel. He encouraged them to respond proactively and strengthen operational coordination throughout the exercise so that they can address any situation and safeguard national sovereignty and public safety with credible combat capabilities. Also attending were National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu; Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo Li-hsiung; Ocean Affairs Council Minister Kuan Bi-ling; National Security Council Advisor Liu Te-chin; Deputy Secretary-General Lii Wen; Chief of Navy Admiral Chiang Cheng-kuo; and Fourth Theater of Operations Commander Lieutenant General Liu Wei-hsin. The Navy Command also livestreamed the emergency combat-readiness sortie, littoral-strike, and coastal-defense drills today. Professional commentary introduced the exercise events, weapons and equipment, and tactical employment, giving the public a better understanding of the Navy’s combat-readiness preparations and defensive operations. The broadcast also promoted all-out defense awareness and demonstrated the Armed Forces’ firm resolve to defend Taiwan’s maritime frontiers and national sovereignty.

Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo Li-hsiung appeared before the Legislative Yuan’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee today to deliver a special report on how the Armed Forces are strengthening service members’ morale and psychological resilience in response to escalating enemy threats and gray-zone activities. Minister Koo began by noting that China continues to employ gray-zone harassment, cognitive warfare, disinformation, recruitment, and infiltration in an attempt to influence service members’ perceptions and undermine unit cohesion. Morale and psychological resilience have therefore become indispensable foundations of force development and combat readiness. Guided by the principle of “reflecting the threat environment and supporting preparation for war,” the Ministry will continue strengthening service members’ will to resist the enemy, awareness of enemy threats, and unit morale to ensure combat effectiveness. Political Warfare Bureau Director-General Lieutenant General Shih Shun-wen further explained that the Armed Forces currently build morale and psychological resilience through four principal areas: unit education, recruit education, reserve refresher training, and military school education. At the unit level, Chu-Kuang Day instruction, security and counterintelligence briefings, calculated risk-taking and battlefield stress-resilience courses, and mental health education are used to strengthen service members’ will to fight and reinforce their psychological defenses. For recruit education, a General National Defense Education Course has been added to initial military training. In 2024, the Ministry published the Beginning Your Military Service teaching materials, covering Armed Forces history, military ethics, Chinese cognitive warfare, human rights in the military, information security, and counterintelligence. Recruits receive 16 hours of instruction during initial training. A multimedia database has also been established on the General National Defense Education website for use by recruit training units. To help reservists understand current defense policies and enemy threats while strengthening their morale and patriotic commitment, the Ministry published the Mobilized and Combat-Ready teaching materials in 2024. Reservists receive five hours of instruction during refresher training, supported by educational videos from a multimedia database to improve the quality of the program. Military school education includes five political education courses totaling 12 creditswithin the common general curriculum. Subjects include the Constitution and Founding Principles of the Republic of China, the History and Development of the Republic of China, and Studies on Mainland China. These courses are intended to develop military officers’ understanding of democracy and constitutional government, strengthen cadets’ awareness of enemy threats and military ethics, and cultivate their ability to understand both themselves and their adversaries. Lieutenant General Shih emphasized that morale education and psychological resilience have become important strategic foundations for building sustained combat capabilities and whole-of-society defense resilience. The Ministry will continue refining its educational methods and content by strengthening Chu-Kuang Day instruction, General National Defense Education, security and counterintelligence education, battlefield stress training, and psychological resilience training. These efforts will be integrated into routine education, combat-readiness preparation, exercise and training evaluation, and threat awareness education to foster among service members a clear understanding of friend and foe, a strong sense of national identity, and a shared will to defend the country.

Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo Li-hsiung appeared before the Legislative Yuan’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee this morning to deliver a special report and answer legislators’ questions. Speaking to the media beforehand, Minister Koo said training is the foundation of combat power. The Armed Forces will make comprehensive preparations and continue training rigorously and consistently to strengthen force development and combat readiness. He also expressed hope for greater public support. Asked about the focus of the field-training phase of the “Han Kuang 42 Exercise” and Taiwan-U.S. cooperation, Minister Koo described the field exercise as the culminating validation of the Han Kuang exercise series. Beginning with computer-assisted war games, namely command-post exercises, and progressing through the Rapid Response Exercise, the Joint Defense Exercise, and the Han Kuang field exercise, each stage employs realistic, scenario-driven but unscripted training. Continuous scenario injects require units to respond as events unfold, testing commanders’ judgment and the orders they issue. Regarding Taiwan-U.S. military exchanges, Minister Koo said the Ministry draws on the U.S. military’s experience in realistic training to enhance the Armed Forces’ operational capabilities. Cooperation with friendly partners also strengthens Taiwan’s overall force-development and combat-readiness efforts. Asked about the 2027 defense budget and new unmanned ground systems, Minister Koo replied that the Ministry formulates its budget in consideration of enemy threats, defensive operational requirements, and the government’s overall fiscal capacity. Defense spending will target 3% of GDP, with the Executive Yuan to make a coordinated announcement at a later date. Responding to reports that China was harassing Taiwan’s surrounding waters and airspace under the pretext of “joint combat-readiness patrols” as the Han Kuang Exercise began, Minister Koo said the Ministry has contingency plans in place for continued PLA activities around the Taiwan Strait during the exercise. Such activities will not interrupt the exercise, and all training events will proceed as planned. Asked about Japan’s recently released defense white paper, Minister Koo said the report describes the threat from China as “an unprecedentedly significant strategic challenge” to Japan and a matter of serious concern. Peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific are of vital importance. The Ministry will continue working with friendly partners to strengthen intelligence exchanges and collective deterrence. Taiwan will also increase its defense budget and fulfill its responsibility to defend the country.

Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo Li-hsiung said in a recent media interview that, in the face of China’s escalating military threats, Taiwan will strengthen its self-defense capabilities while deepening security cooperation with like-minded countries to create collective deterrence. The Ministry of National Defense is also advancing programs for the domestic production of unmanned systems, counter-drone capabilities, and the “Taiwan Dome,” using layered defense and intelligence fusion to enhance Taiwan’s overall defense capabilities. Minister Koo recently sat down for interviews with the Central News Agency and other media outlets, accompanied by Vice Chief of the General Staff (Executive) General Huang Chih-wei, Director-General of the Department of Strategic Planning Lieutenant General Huang Wen-chi, and Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Operations and Planning Lieutenant General Hou Chia-lun. During the interviews, he responded to questions on regional security, security cooperation, defense self-reliance, and unmanned systems. Addressing security in the Indo-Pacific, Minister Koo said countries should increase defense spending, strengthen their self-defense capabilities, expand training, and bolster their military capabilities. Together, these efforts can create collective deterrence against any attempt to unilaterally alter peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait through force or coercion, requiring China to consider the potential responses of both Taiwan’s Armed Forces and other countries in the region before taking such action. Minister Koo noted that the waters east of Taiwan are also vital sea lines of communication for Japan and South Korea. Should the regional security environment undergo a major change, Taiwan would not be the only country required to confront and address the consequences. Regarding Japan’s concept of a “survival-threatening situation,” Minister Koo said Japan is itself facing pressure from Chinese gray-zone activities and joint Chinese-Russian patrols. If Japan determines that circumstances have reached the threshold of a survival-threatening situation, whether it exercises its right of self-defense is a decision for the Japanese government to make based on its own assessment. Turning to Taiwan-U.S. security cooperation, Minister Koo stressed that cooperation extends far beyond the arms sales visible to the public and encompasses a broad range of areas. Personnel seen participating in exchanges during exercises and training activities represent only a small part of the overall relationship. The Armed Forces will continue drawing lessons from the operational experience of friendly partners and adapting them to Taiwan’s defense requirements, the threats it faces, and PLA tactics and methods. These lessons will inform adjustments to Taiwan’s own tactics, techniques, exercises, and training to enhance its defensive capabilities. On defense self-reliance, Minister Koo said Taiwan possesses highly flexible manufacturing capabilities. Going forward, Taiwan will integrate expertise from various countries in defense industries and emerging technologies while excluding supply chains that pose security concerns, including Chinese flight-control systems and communications modules. To this end, the Ministry has proposed a NT$210 billion special budget for unmanned systems, focusing on coastal surveillance and reconnaissance drones, coastal attack drones, and small one-way attack unmanned surface vessels. Through sustained, large-scale demand from the Armed Forces, the Ministry hopes to encourage domestic manufacturers to invest and establish a comprehensive production chain at scale that is free from China-linked supply chains. On counter-drone capabilities, Minister Koo noted that a wide range of soft-kill and hard-kill options are available, including electronic jamming, lasers, high-power microwave systems, automated gun turrets, and various interceptors. The Armed Forces will deploy appropriate countermeasures based on unit echelon, threat type, and cost-effectiveness. Technologies that have reached sufficient maturity will be advanced through formal acquisition programs or small-batch procurement, while the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) will continue related research and development. Counter-drone capabilities must also be integrated into the broader air-defense and fire-coordination architecture so that the most efficient countermeasure can be assigned according to the nature of each threat. Asked about progress on the “Strong Bow” missile and the “Taiwan Dome,” Minister Koo said the Strong Bow missile has completed testing and evaluation and will be included in the relevant budget. The Taiwan Dome, meanwhile, is intended to establish a layered defense encompassing capabilities against ballistic missiles, combat aircraft, long-range fires, and unmanned systems. The Armed Forces will integrate U.S.-made and domestically developed systems, enhance the capabilities of various sensors, and fuse the intelligence and data they provide. The most appropriate effector can then be assigned according to the nature of the threat, improving the efficiency of fires across the overall air-defense architecture. Asked about weapons and equipment acquisition, Minister Koo said future procurement will emphasize mobility, survivability, and operational flexibility, while also reducing the identifiability of military assets and employing a diverse range of platforms to perform missions. Director-General of the Department of Strategic Planning Lieutenant General Huang Wen-chi added that the Armed Forces have moved away from the former mindset of simply “buying what is available.” Systems and platforms are now evaluated according to their suitability for the defense of Taiwan and Penghu, with dual-use, military, and civilian platforms all considered in force-development planning. Regarding legislative review of the special budget for unmanned systems, Minister Koo said the Ministry of National Defense continues to hope that the Executive Yuan’s NT$210 billion proposal will be approved and will maintain dialogue with the Legislative Yuan. If the Executive Yuan’s version does not pass, the relevant programs would have to return to the annual budget process. However, he cautioned against placing all categories of unmanned systems, including aerial, surface, ground, and underwater platforms, along with testing facilities and industrial development expenditures, under a single NT$40 billion annual ceiling, as doing so could constrain future capability development and force-development flexibility. Minister Koo added that, beyond the unmanned systems and Strong Bow missile programs already discussed, the Ministry is continuing to advance programs involving Rui Yuan UAVs, counter-drone systems, ammunition production, and Tactical Assault Kit (TAK) capabilities. A supplementary budget is also being prepared. The Ministry will continue proposing the defense funding required under its joint operations plans, capability-development priorities, and actual operational requirements to strengthen Taiwan’s indigenous defense industry and overall defense capabilities.

With the field-training phase of the “Han Kuang 42 Live Exercise” set to begin soon, Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo Li-hsiung said in a recent media interview that this year’s exercise will have higher-echelon units play the role of the “opposing force” and continuously inject unscripted scenarios based on the latest patterns of threats posed by China. The approach is intended to strengthen commanders’ ability at all levels to respond to changing circumstances and exercise decentralized command and control. The Armed Forces have also shifted away from the previous concept of seeking “a decisive battle at the shoreline” toward “multi-domain denial,” while adjustments to the force structure and more precise mobilization are being used to build sustained operational capability. Minister Koo recently sat down for interviews with the Central News Agency and other media outlets, accompanied by Vice Chief of the General Staff (Executive) General Huang Chih-wei, Director-General of the Department of Strategic Planning Lieutenant General Huang Wen-chi, and Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Operations and Planning Lieutenant General Hou Chia-lun. During the interviews, he responded to questions on realistic training in the Han Kuang Exercise, operational resilience, force structure, and precision mobilization. Addressing efforts to make this year’s Han Kuang Exercise more realistic, Minister Koo said, “Training can always be improved.” Higher-echelon units will serve as the “opposing force,” injecting unscripted scenarios in real time in response to developments during the exercise. This will train commanders at every level to understand their higher headquarters’ intent as well as their own missions. Even in a worst-case scenario in which command centers are destroyed or contact with higher command is lost, units down to the company, platoon, and squad levels must still be able to continue carrying out their combat missions. Vice Chief of the General Staff (Executive) General Huang Chih-wei noted that corresponding conflict scenarios will be incorporated into every phase of the exercise, including scenarios involving lawfare, cognitive warfare, and gray-zone activities based on the latest patterns of threats posed by China. Minister Koo further explained that these scenarios are not devised in isolation, but are based on assessments of the threat environment and joint operations plans. Units at all levels will continually be presented with changing situations requiring them to adapt, ensuring that every service member clearly understands the mission and can put decentralized command and control into practice. Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Operations and Planning Lieutenant General Hou Chia-lun said the Armed Forces have transformed their approach to realistic training. Instead of moving according to a predetermined schedule to designated locations to carry out preplanned tasks, training now incorporates existing key military positions and facilities as well as current battlefield conditions, with unscripted scenarios continually expanding the scope of the exercise. At the same time, the Armed Forces have shifted their strategic thinking from seeking a “decisive battle at the shoreline” toward “multi-domain denial.” Defense operations plans are being revised accordingly to incorporate the concept of overall defense resilience. Responding to public interest in the Armed Forces’ ability to sustain operational capability, Minister Koo stressed that Taiwan does not plan on the assumption that its forces must fight for a prescribed number of days. The fundamental objective is to ensure that any full-scale Chinese invasion fails. Exercise training will extend from the preservation of frontline combat power to operations in depth, progressively testing sustained combat operations through different phases. Preparations also encompass logistical resupply, personnel replacements, combat-power regeneration, and cross-regional maneuver, all integrated with whole-of-society defense resilience. On force structure, Minister Koo said recruitment targets for the volunteer force have been met and overall personnel numbers are trending upward. The Armed Forces will continue to build up overall manpower through the dual-track system of volunteer and compulsory military service. Next year, the first cohort subject to one-year compulsory military service will graduate from university, with approximately 30,000 conscripts expected to enter service. They will undergo a complete training progression covering basic training, home-station training, base training, and joint operations training before gradually reinforcing frontline combat units, garrison brigades, and reserve forces. After completing their service, reservists are expected to be called up for 14 days of refresher training annually, replacing the previous schedule of 14 days once every two years. This will enable them to rapidly regain combat proficiency upon mobilization and implement the principle of “returning personnel to their original wartime assignments.” Minister Koo added that the Armed Forces will review combat-readiness indicators brigade by brigade and battalion by battalion, including personnel levels, equipment readiness, training, and logistics. This will enable more precise assessments of each unit’s organization, specialist skills, and requirements for replacing personnel and materiel lost through combat or attrition. Civil-military integration and mechanisms for mobilizing manpower and material resources will also be incorporated to improve the precision of reserve management and mobilization. Former service members who acquire highly specialized skills in the civilian sector after leaving the military will also be incorporated into the mobilization management system and, when necessary, may be specifically selected for assignments based on their expertise. The resumption of selection programs for reserve officers and noncommissioned officers will help replenish junior leadership positions in garrison and reserve units. For highly specialized Navy and Air Force positions involving aviation, ships, logistics, and other technical fields, the All-out Defense Mobilization Agency will consolidate the requirements of the three services and maintain an accurate picture of veterans possessing the necessary expertise. Lieutenant General Huang Wen-chi, Director-General of the Department of Strategic Planning, said this year’s Han Kuang Exercise will also incorporate large-scale medical resilience preparations and the mobilization and integration of defense industries to validate sustained combat and mobilization readiness. These activities will test the integration of medical, logistical, and industrial capacity with the Armed Forces’ ability to sustain operations, further strengthening their capacity to respond to a complex battlefield environment and enhancing overall defense resilience.

Vice Minister of National Defense for Armaments General Chung Shu-ming today presided over the installation ceremony for the new Director-General of the Armaments Bureau, Lieutenant General Huang Chao-cheng. He encouraged the Bureau, under Lieutenant General Huang’s leadership, to continue improving armaments readiness, weapons and equipment acquisition, and contract performance management; integrate defense technology with the capabilities of private industry; strengthen the foundations of defense self-reliance; and enhance the Armed Forces’ overall combat capabilities. The installation ceremony for the Director-General of the Ministry of National Defense’s Armaments Bureau was held this morning at Bo’ai Camp. During the ceremony, Vice Minister Chung first read the official appointment order, after which Lieutenant General Huang Chao-cheng took the oath of office and formally assumed his new position. Vice Minister Chung noted that the Armaments Bureau is responsible for armaments readiness, the research, development, and production of defense technologies and weapons systems, as well as military engineering and real property management. In recent years, the Bureau has achieved strong results in supporting the services with major weapons acquisition programs, defense technology R&D, oversight of military construction projects, and more effective use of military real estate. He encouraged all personnel to continue embracing innovation and reform while strengthening coordination and cooperation across departments. Vice Minister Chung emphasized that defense self-reliance is an essential foundation for strengthening the Armed Forces’ combat capabilities. In the face of serious threats, weapons and equipment acquisition must be driven by actual force-development and combat-readiness requirements. Procurement must be conducted in accordance with the law, while procurement strategies and contract performance management should be continually improved. Qualification reviews and contract oversight must also be strengthened to safeguard national defense and security. Finally, Vice Minister Chung encouraged the Armaments Bureau to maintain close cooperation with the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST), guided by the principles of “establishing core capabilities, integrating resources, forming strategic alliances, and promoting specialization and cooperation.” By integrating private-sector technologies and external resources, the Bureau should expand the scale of domestic defense production. He also called on all personnel to work together under Director-General Huang’s leadership to build credible combat capabilities.

The Legislative Yuan’s Economics, Foreign Affairs and National Defense, and Finance Committees today held the second joint meeting of the fifth session of the 11th Legislative Yuan to review draft versions of the Special Act for the Procurement of Domestically Developed Unmanned Vehicles for National Defense proposed by the Executive Yuan and various legislative caucuses. With the exception of Proposal No. 13, which will undergo further review at a later date, the proposals were referred for cross-party negotiations before being submitted to the legislative plenary for deliberation. Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo Li-hsiung said that a special act must have a clearly defined purpose and specific procurement targets. The Executive Yuan’s version focuses on coastal reconnaissance drones, coastal attack drones, and small one-way attack unmanned surface vessels. These systems would be acquired through a special budget to meet operational requirements for the defense of the Taiwan Strait and strengthen overall defense resilience. Minister Koo explained that unmanned systems encompass a wide range of aerial, ground, surface, and underwater platforms. Including within a single act the specific systems currently planned for procurement, other platforms that may be developed in the future, indigenous production, and overseas procurement would leave the procurement targets insufficiently defined. Defense procurement should be conducted by the Ministry of National Defense based on its professional assessments and operational requirements, while the Ministry of Economic Affairs should guide industrial development. Although the two functions do not conflict, they should not be conflated. Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs Ho Chin-tsang agreed that his Ministry could not decide which platforms the Ministry of National Defense should procure. Designating the Ministry of National Defense as the competent authority would provide a clearer division of responsibilities. Regarding procurement methods, Minister Koo explained that the Executive Yuan’s bill primarily covers the acquisition of Category I and Category II drones. The Ministry has completed assessments of domestic production capacity and market conditions. Subsequent procurement will use open tendering with multiple awards, allowing qualified domestic manufacturers to participate. If the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology has systems that meet the Ministry’s operational requirements, they will be acquired separately through commissioned production. Procurement programs will also require contractors to continually improve the performance of flight-control software, communications modules, and other components. Long-term orders will help drive iterative innovation throughout Taiwan’s domestic industry. Regarding funding, Deputy Minister Ho said the Executive Yuan’s version sets a ceiling of NT$210 billion and provides funding through a special budget. As the budget would not be subject to the restrictions under Article 23 of the Budget Act, it could provide a stable, long-term source of funding. This approach would reduce procurement uncertainty arising from competition with other budgetary requirements, funding cuts, or delays in the review process, thereby increasing manufacturers’ willingness to invest. Minister Koo cautioned that bringing all unmanned systems under the legislation and requiring the central government to allocate a fixed amount in its annual budget could create discrepancies between actual requirements and the statutory funding level. It could also raise questions about how the Legislative Yuan would subsequently review the funding. The Executive Yuan’s version specifies three types of unmanned systems, but this does not mean that they represent the Ministry’s only requirements, Minister Koo emphasized. Other large and medium-to-large drones, unmanned ground vehicles, and unmanned underwater vehicles that may be procured once the necessary technologies mature will still undergo project planning based on operational requirements. Funding will then be included separately in annual budgets or other procurement programs. Citing the delivery of MQ-9B unmanned aircraft as an example, Minister Koo said the relevant funding is provided through the annual budget. Different types of unmanned systems serving different purposes should therefore be funded through mechanisms appropriate to their specific operational requirements. Addressing domestic-content requirements proposed in some versions of the bill, Deputy Minister Ho said that unmanned systems vary considerably. The feasibility of domestic production for each platform is also affected by uncertainties such as the pace of technological development and changes in market conditions. Writing a uniform domestic-content percentage into law could therefore create difficulties during implementation and subsequent procurement. Minister Koo added that military unmanned systems procured from overseas could not readily comply with a fixed domestic-content requirement. The Ministry’s procurement of unmanned systems must remain based on military specifications that meet operational requirements. Existing industry support mechanisms and related programs already cover research and development subsidies, investment tax credits, talent development, testing and certification, and supply chain integration. Some legislative proposals also addressed testing sites, production bases, readiness stockpiles, and deployment arrangements. Minister Koo explained that testing sites involve the respective responsibilities of the Ministry of National Defense, Ministry of Transportation and Communications, and local governments and should therefore be coordinated at the Executive Yuan level. Military exercise areas or restricted military zones should not be directly designated by law as testing sites. Similarly, the quantities of unmanned systems held in readiness and their deployment locations should be determined by the Ministry of National Defense according to operational requirements and professional planning. Publicly stipulating such information in legislation could create national security concerns. The Ministry hopes that the Legislative Yuan will support the Executive Yuan’s version, which clearly defines the procurement targets, competent authorities, and source of funding, allowing resources to be concentrated on acquiring priority equipment.

Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo Li-hsiung spoke to the media today before attending the second joint meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Economics, Foreign Affairs and National Defense, and Finance Committees. He said that President Lai Ching-te’s inspection of military units was intended to gain an understanding of preparations for exercises and training and to encourage service members. The visit would not affect the scheduled activities or validation objectives of the Han Kuang Exercise. The Armed Forces currently have no plans to conduct live-fire drills on Taiwan proper and will not arrange any specifically for the presidential inspection. Responding to a question about whether President Lai’s inspection would run counter to the original purpose of military training, Minister Koo explained that the exercise uses realistic training under conditions resembling actual combat to strengthen the Armed Forces’ joint operational capabilities. The President’s visit would neither disrupt routine training nor alter any scheduled activities or validation objectives. Minister Koo also stressed that media reports claiming that the Armed Forces would conduct live-fire drills on Taiwan proper were inaccurate. Although the President’s inspection itinerary was still being adjusted, no live-fire activities would be specially arranged. Regarding a report by the National Audit Office noting that NT$3.7 billion in maintenance funding had been allocated for the Air Force’s AT-3 trainer aircraft despite their impending retirement, Minister Koo explained that the report addressed expenditures from last year. The AT-3 fleet would not begin to be phased out until July this year, so expenses for contractor-provided maintenance and other support remained necessary. Maintenance costs will decline as the aircraft are gradually withdrawn from service. Responding to concerns raised in the National Audit Office’s final accounts report that the Armed Forces’ counter-drone systems do not cover the 5.1 GHz frequency band or address emerging threats such as fiber-optic-controlled and AI-enabled autonomous drones, Lieutenant General Sun Li-fang, Director of the Administration Office of the Minister and Ministry spokesperson, explained that the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology launched its current counter-drone system project in 2021. The system was designed primarily to counter commercial drones operating on the 2.4 GHz, 5.8 GHz, 1.2 GHz, and 1.5 GHz frequency bands. After China introduced the use of the 5.1 GHz band in 2023, NCSIST planned a system upgrade to incorporate that band into its detection and countermeasure coverage. Lieutenant General Sun further explained that portions of the S-band used by the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System are primarily employed for transmitting and receiving short messages and are not among the frequency bands currently used primarily by drones. These frequencies are also important to Taiwan’s domestic 4G and 5G mobile communications. Under National Communications Commission regulations, they may not be used by general-purpose/civilian drones and were therefore not included in the current counter-drone system. Fiber-optic-controlled and AI-enabled autonomous drones have emerged only in recent years and were not included in the original project. The Ministry is now working through its Defense Innovation Unit to identify mature domestic and overseas suppliers while combining commercial solutions with indigenous research and development to plan future countermeasure systems. Addressing foreign media reports that the PLA had constructed replicas of the Presidential Office Building, government agencies, naval bases, and other facilities for simulated attack or occupation training, Lieutenant General Sun said that the facilities and related PLA activities were within the scope of the Armed Forces’ intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance. Following the principle of preparing for the broadest range of enemy capabilities, the Ministry is developing appropriate responses to possible PLA operations against Taiwan while continually strengthening force development, combat readiness, and training. Lieutenant General Sun emphasized that the reports underscored the severity of the current threat. The Armed Forces will respond prudently and continue enhancing all aspects of combat readiness. He also called on the public to support both the annual defense budget and the special defense budget so the military can secure the resources required to improve its training, readiness, and defense capabilities. Regarding the recovery of Taiwan’s share of F-16 development costs, Lieutenant General Sun explained that under US foreign military sales procedures, the maximum recoverable amount of R&D cost-sharing reimbursement under the “Peace Phoenix Rising Program” for the F-16 Block 20 is US$319 million. Approximately US$245 million has been recovered to date. The Air Force will continue using project management mechanisms and regular meetings to monitor other countries’ participation in the program and the reconciliation of foreign military sales accounts, while seeking the R&D cost-sharing reimbursement to which Taiwan is entitled.

Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien today received a delegation led by Beata Szydło, a member of the European Parliament’s Special Committee on the European Democracy Shield and former Prime Minister of Poland. The two sides exchanged views on the security situation in the Indo-Pacific, China’s gray-zone harassment, and whole-of-society defense resilience. They also held in-depth discussions on how democracies can jointly respond to authoritarian expansion and deepen security cooperation, demonstrating Taiwan and Europe’s shared commitment to maintaining regional peace and stability. The delegation arrived at the Ministry of National Defense’s Bo’ai Camp this morning, where Vice Minister Hsu welcomed the guests on behalf of the Minister of National Defense, Wellington Koo. In his remarks, Hsu said that China has increasingly employed a combination of military pressure, cognitive warfare, and gray-zone harassment in recent years, posing challenges to security across the Taiwan Strait and throughout the Indo-Pacific. In response, the government is not only continuing to strengthen Taiwan’s defense capabilities, but also actively enhancing digital resilience and cybersecurity to address the risks posed by China-linked supply chains. It is also advancing the development and application of unmanned systems to strengthen overall defense capabilities, preserve Taiwan’s democratic and free way of life, and maintain regional peace and stability. Whole-of-society defense resilience is a vital foundation of national security, Hsu said. Through cooperation between central and local governments, civil society participation, and cross-sector integration, the government is building a more comprehensive national defense framework. Exercises such as the Urban Resilience Exercise are also used to test interagency coordination and civil-military integration. This year’s Urban Resilience Exercise included a network throttling drill for the first time. The drill tested the ability of government agencies and the private sector to respond to compound threats and provided an opportunity to further refine Taiwan’s digital resilience and critical infrastructure protection mechanisms. Vice Minister Hsu thanked the European Parliament for its longstanding attention to security across the Taiwan Strait and its support for Taiwan’s participation in the international community. He said Taiwan would continue deepening exchanges and cooperation with like-minded countries. By sharing experience and expanding cooperation in security, cybersecurity, and whole-of-society defense resilience, Taiwan and its partners can jointly uphold the rules-based international order and safeguard peace, stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific.

Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo appeared today before the Legislative Yuan’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee to deliver a report entitled “Measures to Improve Procurement Strategies in Response to Contract Performance Disputes, Contractor Defaults, and Resulting Delays in the Delivery of Military Equipment” and answer legislators’ questions. Before presenting the special report, Minister Koo spoke to the media about mobile network throttling tests, Armed Forces staffing levels, Taiwan-US military exchanges, and the possibility of a maritime blockade. He said that the Armed Forces continue to strengthen backup command-and-control communications and develop response measures for a range of potential scenarios to ensure the overall effectiveness of defense operations. Regarding the National Communications Commission’s (NCC) plan to conduct a mobile network throttling test during the Han Kuang Exercise, Minister Koo said that this would be the first such test. Mobile network services would be throttled in selected areas, while fixed-line communications would remain unaffected. The test is intended to validate the Armed Forces’ backup command-and-control communications capabilities under simulated conditions. The test will cover 14 cities and counties. Its results will subsequently be reviewed to further refine the relevant plans. Responding to questions about Armed Forces staffing levels, Minister Koo said that overall personnel strength currently remains at approximately 80% of authorized staffing levels. Given the staffing disparities among units, the Ministry continues to review management measures involving duty adjustments, the consolidation of duties, and workloads to maintain unit operations and protect the rights and interests of service members. Regarding Taiwan-US military exchanges, Minister Koo said that the two sides continue to enhance their joint operational capabilities through established military exchanges, professional training, and cooperation. Such cooperation will continue in the future. Asked about the possibility of China imposing a maritime blockade on Taiwan, Minister Koo said that peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and throughout the Indo-Pacific are vital to global economic development. The Armed Forces have response plans for a range of potential contingencies, and a maritime blockade is among the scenarios for which they have prepared.