Radio Taiwan Internatioinal
Date: 2017-03-16
The defense minister, Feng Shih-kuan, says the military will continue to develop
Defense Minister Feng Shih-kuan (CNA file photo)
strategies of waging asymmetrical warfare by air, land, and sea. Feng was speaking Thursday while addressing the Legislature’s committee on foreign and defense affairs.
Feng said the nation’s defense doctrine is one of multi-domain deterrence. He said the armed forces have advanced technology and also the will to defend the nation from attack. He mentioned smart mines, which he said are an effective deterrent. The minister said he hoped for the development of unmanned vehicles which could be used offensively as well as for reconnaissance.
Feng said he feels the biggest challenges for the defense ministry are a gap in spending and the difficulty of recruiting enough career soldiers to get rid of conscription. The minister said he would like to see defense spending rise to 3% of GDP. [FULL STORY]
The defense budget for this year is around NT$320 billion (US$10.45 billion), which is just over 2% of GDP.