TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Former navy commander and Kuomintang (KMT, 國民黨) legislator Chen Yeong-kang (陳永康) questioned President Lai's "T-Dome" (台灣之盾) defense concept Monday (Dec. 1) during a Legislative Yuan (立法院), Taiwan's parliament, Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee session. Chen noted Northrop Grumman had visited to discuss the Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS) concept, emphasizing the need for collaborative efforts.
Chen highlighted the "T-Dome," also called Taiwan Dome, involves cross-service weapon integration and patent issues with the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST, 國立中山科學院), Taiwan's primary weapons research agency. He stressed the military's operational picture must include Command, Control, Computing, Communications, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance, and Targeting (C5ISRT), with a particular focus on targeting. Chen pointed out the similar range of the army's HIMARS and the navy's coastal Harpoon missiles, calling for clear authorization of interceptors within the Hengshan Command Post.
Chen cautioned the differing interfaces between Taiwan's Sky Bow III (Tien Kung III, 天弓三型飛彈) missiles and U.S. Patriot III missiles could raise patent concerns if foreign firms participate in constructing the T-Dome. He noted the special military budget excludes underwater capabilities, urging the T-Dome should address both surface and subsurface threats.
Defense Minister Wellington Koo (顧立雄) emphasized the T-Dome focuses on air defense, highlighting artificial intelligence's role in enhancing fire coordination and interception accuracy. Koo added the C5ISRT operational picture should incorporate intelligence and logistics to bolster defense capabilities across air, ground, and underwater domains. ◼