TAICHUNG, Taiwan ¨C Taiwan needs a ¡°hornet¡¯s nest¡± of drones to help deter conflict and provide security, the top U.S. diplomat to the democratically governed island said on Thursday.
The ?U.S., Taiwan¡¯s most important international backer and arms supplier despite the lack ?of formal ?diplomatic ties, has strongly backed the government¡¯s military modernization plan ?and increased defense spending. Taiwan says it needs to bolster its defenses in the face of a stepped-up threat from China, which views the island as its ?own territory.
Speaking at a forum on drones in the central city of Taichung, Raymond Greene, director ?of the American Institute in Taiwan and the de facto U.S. ambassador, said drones represented a ¡°game-changing opportunity¡± to enhance Taiwan¡¯s security ?and reinforce peace in the broader ?region.
The U.S. and Taiwan can anchor ¡°democratic¡± drone production and strengthen the collective deterrence posture of the free world, Greene said. ¡°Fortunately ?for Taiwan, drones ?have significantly boosted defenders, even when facing overwhelming odds,¡± he ?added, referring to the war in Ukraine. ¡°Nothing will deter conflict more ?effectively ?than turning Taiwan into a hornet¡¯s nest of air, surface, and subsurface drones.¡±
While Taiwan¡¯s government has prioritized drones and other asymmetric systems, in May the opposition-dominated parliament passed only two-thirds of the $40 billion in extra defense spending President Lai ?Ching-te had asked for, earmarking funds only for U.S. arms.
The government has now proposed a new, T$210 billion ($6.59 billion) package for surveillance, coastal attack and small unmanned surface drones to the end of 2031. The Kuomintang, Taiwan¡¯s main opposition party, this week proposed its ?own ?drone legislation, with a spending cap set at T$240 billion ?over six years, and annual spending capped at T$40 billion.
Its plan would fund drones ?from the main budget rather than a special budget, which is what the government wants. On Wednesday, Taiwan President Lai Ching-te said the need for drones was pressing.
¡°Facing changes in the geopolitical situation and the evolution of modern ?warfare, building asymmetric combat capabilities is a national defense project that is a race against time,¡± he told a meeting of his Democratic Progressive Party. Lai rejects Beijing¡¯s sovereignty claims, saying only the island¡¯s people can decide their future.
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