Military says budget delay threatens US$2.4bn in weapons buying, trainingBy Ben Blanchard / Reuters, TAIPEIA delay in approving the general budget this year threatens NT$78 billion (US$2.44 ‌billion) in weapons procurement, maintenance and training, a senior Ministry of National Defense official said today. Defense spending is set to increase by 22.9 percent to NT$949.5 billion this year, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration said in August last year. A Ministry of National Defense plaque is pictured at the ministry in Taipei in an undated photograph. The tabletop exercises would incorporate "recent international military operations as important references," Tung Chi-hsing (董冀星), director of the ministry’s Joint Operations Planning Division, told the same news conference. Lessons Taiwan has drawn include early warning and immediate response, how to counter drones, the use of layered air defenses and anti-infiltration operations, Tung said.

Source: Taipei Times April 02, 2026 04:55 UTC