Army ready for war after ‘first strike’: defense chiefSERIOUS ISSUE: If a Chinese UAV entered Taiwan airspace the military would first lock onto it as a warning and only later resort to a counterattack, Chiu Kuo-cheng saidStaff writer, with CNAThe military would be prepared for war if it was forced to counter a “first strike” by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), Minister of National Defense Chiu Kuo-cheng (邱國正) said yesterday at the legislature. Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chiang Chi-chen (江啟臣) asked Chiu to elaborate on a comment he made on Tuesday that incursions by the PLA’s uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) into Taiwan’s territorial airspace would now be considered a “first strike,” necessitating countermeasures. Minister of National Defense Chiu Kuo-cheng speaks at a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Photo: CNAThe military would first lock onto intruding UAVs as a warning, which if not heeded would prompt a defensive “counterattack,” Chiu said. Asked by Chiang whether the counterattack would be aimed at repelling intruding PLA aircraft or preventing a “second strike,” Chiu said: “I don’t see it that way.
