Defense Ministry to Focus on Upgrading Joint Operation Capacity

Taiwan Government News, TAIPEI: The building up of Taiwan's weaponry systems will focus on the upgrading of the overall capacity of the joint operations of the armed forces, Minister of National Defense Lee Jye told the Legislative Yuan Monday. 
 
Depending on the financial situation of the nation, the ministry will make the development of a missile defense system, joint anti-air and anti-sea capacity, and information and electronic warfare capacity top priorities so as to establish a streamlined but effective modern military force, he added. 
 
He also reported that defense spending for next year will be NT$328.4 billion (US$10.01 billion), or 2.85 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). 
 
Assuming that defense spending will be increased to 3 percent of GDP between 2008-2011, the defense budget will reach NT$1.81 trillion in five years, he said. Of that spending, NT$643.7 billion will focus on upgrading the overall capacity of the joint operations of the armed forces and its capacity to counter immediate threats. 
 
Lee also spoke on the Chinese military buildup and the threat it poses to Taiwan. He noted that China's defense spending this year will be US$35 billion, up 14.7 percent from last year. This, coupled with its covert military spending, will amount to more than US$100 billion, which he said will be more than 10 times that of Taiwan's defense spending. 
 
With its military buildup and research and development in high-tech, active deployment of high-tech weaponry, and strengthening of joint operation training, China can effectively control sea areas west of the “first island chain,” referring to the north-south line running through the Sakhalin Islands, Ryukyu Islands, Taiwan, the Philippines, and Indonesia, Lee said. 
 
He also reported that China has deployed more than 800 tactical missiles along its southeast coast, with the number increasing at between 75 and 100 annually. China's test-firing of missiles has also increased to 100 times annually from just over 20 times over the past three years. 
 
A new land attack cruise missile (LACM) , called the Dong Hai-10 (DH-10) , a ground-launched second-generation LACM with a range of 1,800 km, has also been deployed, he said. 
 
The overall combat capacity of China is now on par with that of the industrialized countries in Europe and that of the United States, he added. 
 
He reported that overall, China's tactical missiles, cruise missiles, bombers and submarines will pose the greatest threat to Taiwan.