TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Defense Minister Wellington Koo (顧立雄) stated Monday (Dec. 1) the Ministry of National Defense will not disclose procurement details for President Lai Ching-te's (賴清德) NT$1.25 trillion (around US$40 billion) defense budget before the U.S. informs Taiwan's Legislative Yuan (立法院), Taiwan's parliament. Legislator Hsu Chiao-hsin (徐巧芯) expressed skepticism about the compatibility of Taiwan's and the U.S.'s systems, suggesting that new systems might be necessary for full integration. Hsu questioned whether the budget would cover future maintenance and operational costs.
President Lai proposed the defense special budget on Nov. 26 to integrate nine major U.S. military procurements into Taiwan's defense systems, marking a significant expansion of the island's military capabilities. The plan includes the T-Dome project and marks the initial purchase of a fourth set of Patriot III missiles for enhanced air defense. The budget also covers the enhancement of nine existing Patriot joint battle systems currently deployed across Taiwan.
Koo emphasized that the Ministry of National Defense developed the plan based on enemy threats, future operational needs, and technological trends that are affecting Taiwan's evolving security environment. The minister denied that the military procurement decision was top-down, stating it followed established defense planning protocols and involved comprehensive threat assessments. The ministry also introduced a targeted pay raise plan for military personnel, focusing on specific high-demand professions rather than implementing uniform salary increases across all ranks.
Unlike the opposition's proposal for a uniform NT$30,000 (around US$955) raise across the military, the ministry increases pay for cyber warfare specialists by NT$10,000 (around US$318) monthly. The plan raises battle air traffic control pay from NT$5,100 (around US$162) to NT$11,200 (around US$357) and boosts electronic reconnaissance pay from NT$4,100 (around US$131) to NT$13,600 (around US$433). Legislator Ma Wen-chun (馬文君) questioned Koo about aligning personnel recruitment with new weapon procurements.