Taiwan unveils new deterrent doctrine
Taiwan detected multiple Chinese naval vessels near its waters and publicly rolled out a 'deny, delay, degrade' long-range strategy aimed at holding off PLA advances with asymmetric defenses — Taipei is shifting toward scalable deterrence as incursions rise. The moves include new long-range missile deployments and signal a higher threshold for sustained maritime confrontation. (scmp.com)
Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense formally attached the doctrine to a proposed NT$1.25 trillion (roughly US$40 billion) special defence budget designed to be spent over eight years to build a multilayered “T‑Dome” air‑defence network and other systems. Defence Minister Wellington Koo led the classified procurement briefing to the Legislative Yuan and publicly urged lawmakers to fast‑track authority to sign three US Letters of Offer and Acceptance so armament deliveries aren’t delayed by the budget review. The MND’s public materials list seven procurement categories — precision artillery, long‑range strike missiles, unmanned systems, air defence and anti‑armor missiles, AI‑assisted C5ISR, sustained combat support, and jointly developed Taiwan‑US systems — and say the plan includes around 200,000 reconnaissance/attack drones and more than 1,000 unmanned surface vessels. Taipei has budgeted domestic production of 232 additional upgraded Hsiung Feng II/III anti‑ship missiles at about NT$16.1 billion and has publicly displayed an extended‑range HF‑3ER during Han Kuang 41 exercises; open‑source estimates put the HF‑3ER’s range near 400 km. On operational pressure, Taiwan’s MND reported detecting seven PLAN vessels and three official ships operating around the island as of 6 a.m. local time on March 23, 2026, while separate MND tallies earlier in the month recorded 99 Chinese military aircraft and 142 Chinese ships tracked by the ministry. The ministry said five key systems under the special budget have entered the US congressional notification process, and independent reporting warns that legislative delays risk three US‑approved weapons packages lapsing unless Taipei accelerates approval.
