Taipei: The NT$113.2 billion (US$3.47 billion) allocated for the Ministry of National Defense (MND) in a proposed NT$550 billion special budget is set to extend Taiwan’s wartime reserves from 30 days to 120 days if it receives legislative approval, Defense Minister Wellington Koo announced on Thursday. The budget, unveiled by the Cabinet, includes measures to strengthen military communications systems, upgrade facilities and infrastructure, and enhance maritime defense capabilities.
According to Focus Taiwan, the Legislative Yuan had previously passed a special provision in August, allowing the government to draft a special budget in response to new U.S. tariffs and China’s military maneuvers around Taiwan. Huang Wen-chi, head of the MND’s Department of Strategic Planning, emphasized that the budget aims to improve resilience during potential blockades or quarantines.
The proposed budget would also allocate funds for improving the training of reservists and conscripts, as well as for the stockpiling of ammunition. The MND has requested NT$67.3 billion to fortify communications, which includes the development of cloud-based operating systems, strengthening Taiwan’s backbone network, and deploying mobile command centers across the services. Huang pointed out that traditional stationary systems are susceptible to kinetic attacks, such as missile strikes.
Additionally, NT$3 billion is being sought to enhance maritime defense, which includes upgrades to the Navy’s Dacheng C4ISR (command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance) system. The budget also proposes integrating radar systems from the Navy, Coast Guard, and Army to establish a common operational picture, according to Huang.
Minister Koo further stated that all procurement funded by the special budget would be conducted domestically to support Taiwan’s economy.
