Taiwan Government News, There is a vast divide between those in the military and government who want to boost the country's missile defenses, and their opponents, who believe the country should develop deterrent capabilities instead of paying for high-priced missile defense.
While a report released on Thursday by the US-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) singled out political squabbling and disputes within the Taiwanese military as the causes of the nation's inability to counter a Chinese missile attack, the fact is that many in the military have changed their viewpoint on missile defense.
Minister of National Defense Lee Jye has said in the past that Taiwan requires offensive weapons in order to deter China from launching an attack, as a purely defensive military would fail to do this. The minister also told the Legislature that the nation is building a strategic force.
Therefore, while the military proposed buying three Patriot anti-missile batteries (PAC-3) from the US, it has made clear that the priorities in the special arms package are eight diesel-powered submarines and 12 P-3C maritime patrol aircraft.
The military also decided to delay the purchase of the PAC-3 to next year because the opposition parties said that a 2004 referendum had already vetoed the purchase for a three-year period.
In a closed-door meeting in February attended by military officials and lawmakers from the Legislative National Defense Committee, the proposed purchase of the three PAC-3 batteries proved highly controversial.
Kuomintang (KMT) Legislator Shuai Hua-min, a retired lieutenant general, complained that buying the missile batteries would be an inefficient use of money. “If China has 700 ballistic missiles, and two missiles are theoretically required to intercept one offensive missile, then 1,400 Patriot missiles would be needed. Taiwan can't afford to buy that many missiles,” he told a press conference after the meeting.
Even if the proposed purchase of PAC-3s was approved, the military would have less than 600 Patriot missiles in total, he added.
Shuai said Taiwan's financial situation ruled out the possibility of an arms race with China and that the government should seriously consider cost-efficiency when making investments in military hardware.
He added that submarines, which served as a deterrent, could help the nation achieve its strategic goal of preventing a war with China.
“A plan for a more offensively-oriented military was laid out by President Chen Shui-bian when he advanced his 'Offshore Engagement' proposal in 2000, his first year in office,” said Chang Li-teh, a senior editor with Defense Technology Monthly magazine.
“But the idea was very controversial because people thought it would provoke China and alarm the nation's allies,” Chang said.
“However, the need for an offensively-oriented military has become a hot topic of discussion over the years,” he said.
The new CSIS report, The Paths Ahead: Missile Defense in Asia, noted that Taiwan's military is divided, with the Army opposed to missile defense, the Navy for it and the Air Force split since the Army would have to pay for the weapons, while the Air Force and Navy would operate them.
Chang said the report's conclusions were wrong since the Air Force, not the Army, was footing the bill for missile defense.
“The Air Force is reluctant to pay for the weapons because it prefers to spend its budget on building a new fighter force,” said Chang.
The new study was prepared by Kurt Campbell, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense under former U.S. president Clinton, and CSIS senior fellow Jeremiah Gertler. The report paints a bleak picture of Taiwan's ability to counter a Chinese missile attack, even with the help of the US, citing what it calls the “chaotic” political atmosphere and military squabbling.
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