Taiwanese army warns that budget blockage threatens $2.4 billion in arms and training purchases

The delay in approving Taiwan’s budget this year threatens 78 billion Taiwanese dollars (2.44 billion US dollars) in arms acquisitions, maintenance, and training, a senior official from the Ministry of Defense said on Thursday.

Defense spending is set to increase by 22.9% to reach 949.5 billion Taiwanese dollars in 2026, as announced by President Lai Ching-te’s administration in August. Representing 3.32% of the gross domestic product, this figure will surpass 3% for the first time since 2009, according to government data.

The government stated the need for increased spending to deter China, which claims sovereignty over the island and has intensified its military pressure through war drills. The United States has supported this budget increase.

However, the Parliament, controlled by the opposition, has blocked the budget approval as well as a separate proposal of 40 billion dollars in additional military spending, stating that while they support the defense credit increase, they will not sign a “blank check.”

This delay means that the ministry will not be able to execute 21% of this year’s budget according to the initial schedule, affecting 78 billion Taiwanese dollars in spending, specified Yen Ming-teh, head of the ministry’s budget department, during a press conference.

This includes funding for programs like the American-made HIMARS multiple rocket launch systems, as well as the acquisition and procurement of Javelin missiles, Mr. Yen indicated.

The blockade will also impact the ongoing training related to Lockheed Martin’s F-16 fighter jets, he added.

“In the face of the enemy threat, strengthening national defense capabilities cannot be postponed,” Mr. Yen stated. “Any delay in the schedule will result in irreversible negative effects.”

U.S. President Donald Trump has reiterated his calls for allies to increase their defense spending – a call that the Lai administration has endorsed.

TAIWANESE MANEUVERS

Taiwan will conduct the “table-top” simulation phase of its annual Han Kuang military exercises from April 11 to 24, with the live-fire exercise phase likely to take place in July.

Tung Chi-hsing, head of the ministry’s inter-service operations planning department, stated during the same press conference that the table-top exercises would incorporate “recent international military operations as major references.”

This includes not only American and Israeli operations against Iran but also American operations in Venezuela, Mr. Tung specified, referring to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by the American military during a raid in January.

Taiwan’s lessons learned focus on early warning and immediate response, combating drones, utilizing multi-layered air defense, and anti-infiltration operations, Mr. Tung detailed.

China has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control. Taiwan’s democratically elected government rejects China’s sovereignty claims, asserting that only the people of the island can decide its future.

(1 USD = 31.9580 Taiwanese dollars)