HSINCHU, Taiwan — Taiwan initiated a series of military exercises on Tuesday, which will span three days, amid rising anxieties regarding potential reductions to its defense budget stemming from legislative disputes between the principal political factions on the island.
The drills commenced in the northern part of Taiwan, featuring tank operations at a facility in Hsinchu, where older CM-11 tanks were utilized. These tanks are in the process of being phased out in favor of modern Abrams M1A2T tanks purchased from the United States. This transition represents a significant modernization of Taiwan’s military capabilities, despite some concerns regarding the heft of the new tanks and their effectiveness in thwarting a possible amphibious assault from China.
Troops were deployed using armored personnel carriers, supported by aerial reconnaissance and fire from Apache and S-70 helicopters flying overhead. According to Army Captain Chuang Yuan-cheng from the 542 Armored Brigade, the communication officer on the ground plays a pivotal role by coordinating airborne assaults, ensuring that the interactions between ground and air fire are well synchronized.
On Wednesday, the army is set to display its Patriot III anti-missile system, designed to counter one of the most formidable threats posed by China to Taiwan’s population of 23 million. Following that, on Thursday, anti-submarine maneuvers will be conducted near Kaohsiung, Taiwan’s largest port, which is regarded as China’s prime route for resupplying troops should they manage to gain a foothold in the heavily fortified region.
These annual drills are conducted in anticipation of the Lunar New Year celebrations, aiming to reassure the citizens of Taiwan about their defense capabilities against Chinese threats while also serving to encourage military recruitment. Taiwan currently has pending orders from the U.S. valued at around $20 billion for various weapons systems and is actively modernizing its M-16 fighter planes while developing indigenous submarines. The nation has also recently extended its compulsory military service to a duration of one year.
Nevertheless, government officials have cautioned that proposed legislative amendments could lead to a substantial 28% reduction in the defense budget due to a redistribution of funds between central and local authorities. Such a cut could diminish the willingness of the United States and allied nations like Japan and the Philippines to provide assistance to Taiwan in the event of military conflict with China, as explained by National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu in a briefing to lawmakers last month.
This proposed legislation is being pushed forward by the Nationalist Party, which is collaborating with the smaller Taiwan People’s Party to oppose the legislative agenda of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party. Currently, Taiwan allocates approximately 2.4% of its GDP, roughly $20 billion, towards its military expenditures annually.
In response to ongoing arms sales from the U.S. to Taiwan, China has issued vehement threats, maintaining that reunification with the island is unavoidable and warning that the U.S. is “playing with fire.” Nonetheless, aside from the frequent deployment of aircraft and naval vessels near Taiwan, Beijing has largely reacted with measures such as blacklisting firms and executives linked to the military equipment’s production and sale.
Despite China’s military intimidation, economic pressure, and appeals to shared ancestry, the sentiments of Taiwan’s populace appear largely unaffected, with a significant majority advocating for the current state of de facto independence.
