Taiwan’s Arms Buildup Displays Shift To Asymmetric Defense Strategy – OpEd

Taiwan’s military is steadily transitioning from a conventional defense strategy to an asymmetric one, the Taiwan News newspaper reported.

The nation is stockpiling more mobile and cost-effective weapons systems to build deterrence against a potential Chinese invasion. The goal is to make China “think twice before attacking,” or at least delay its forces long enough for Taiwan to secure U.S. assistance, as per the Wall Street Journal newspaper.

“They are improving their military readiness in all three areas: policy, procurement and personnel,” WSJ quoted Mark Montgomery, senior director at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, as saying. 

“But this is a five- or six-year-to-go process, and they need to get to work on each one of those as fast as they can.”

According to the Taiwan News, Taiwan’s air defense arsenal includes domestically developed Sky Bow, land-based Sky Sword II, and Antelope missile systems, along with U.S.-made Patriot and NASAMS. The National Chung Shan Institute of Science and Technology operates 16 production lines for air defense missiles and other offensive munitions, with output reaching 1,000 missiles in both 2023 and 2024.

Taiwan also relies on a Cold War-era AN/FPS-115 PAVE PAWS early warning radar, purchased from the U.S. in 2000 for NT$57.66 billion (US$1.8 billion). Operational since February 2013, the radar is located at an altitude of 2,620 meters and can detect missiles launched from up to 5,000 km away.

To counter a potential amphibious landing, Taiwan deploys Hsiung Feng and Harpoon anti-ship missiles. A new Coastal Defense Command will be established in 2026 to oversee six bases equipped with these systems. Taiwan is also building six Min Jiang-class rapid minelaying ships and has ordered six more under the “Yong Jie Project” to make it harder for China to reach its shores.

Taiwan, according to the Taiwan News, is expanding its drone fleet with suicide UAVs such as the Chien Hsiang. It plans to acquire more than 3,000 domestically made drones over the next five years and has already purchased nearly 1,000 Switchblade 300 and ALTIUS 600 M-V loitering munitions from the United States.

In March, Taiwan Shipbuilding Corporation unveiled the country’s first military unmanned surface vehicle (USV), the Endeavor Manta, with a payload capacity over one tonne and a top speed of more than 64.82 kilometers per hour. The National Chung Shan Institute is also testing its “Kuai Chi” attack USV prototype. 

Alessio Patalano, a professor of war and strategy in East Asia at King’s College London, told WSJ that weapons that are low-cost and easy to deploy are key to hindering a Chinese attack. However, she noted that Taiwan’s military “will only be as ready and as proficient as the Taiwanese people and the Taiwanese political elites want them to be.”

Despite progress, Taiwan faces major challenges. Under the second Trump administration, some, including Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby, have called for Taiwan to boost defense spending to 10 percent of GDP. However, WSJ noted this would be difficult while prioritizing lower-cost weapons.

Premier Cho Jung-tai said in March the 10 percent target is “impossible.” Based on the government’s 2025 GDP estimate of NT$26.88 trillion, this would amount to a NT$2.68 trillion national defense budget.

Defense budget cuts proposed by the opposition Kuomintang and Taiwan People’s Party have also hindered Taiwan’s deterrence efforts. 

Taiwan also struggles with military recruitment. The country aims to maintain a force of 215,000, but by the end of 2023, only 78 percent of positions were filled, according to WSJ.

To address recruitment issues, President Lai Ching-te in March announced higher bonuses for volunteer military personnel. New recruits now receive up to NT$12,000, while those ranked major and below are eligible for NT$15,000.

Taiwan is also modernizing its training programs, particularly with Stinger missiles and drones, a move WSJ said is vital to creating a more powerful and capable military.

Meanwhile, the Taipei Times newspaper reported that the military conducted recently its first live-firing of High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) purchased from the U.S., as the nation upgrades its capabilities to repel a potential Chinese attack.

The U.S. is Taiwan’s most important arms supplier, despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties.

Taiwan has faced increased military pressure from China, including several rounds of war games, as Beijing seeks to assert its sovereignty claims over the nation.

Taiwan has bought 29 of Lockheed Martin’s HIMARS, with the first batch of 11 received last year and the rest set to arrive by next year.

The truck-mounted units can launch multiple precision-guided rockets and have been used by Ukraine against Russia in their ongoing conflict.

With a range of about 300km, they could hit coastal targets in China’s Fujian Province, on the other side of the Taiwan Strait, in the event of a conflict.

Colonel Ho Chih-chung told reporters that U.S. technical personnel were present during the live-fire drill and helped to resolve a “signal error” during the first round when three launchers failed to fire simultaneously.

“We believe this exercise provides an opportunity to enhance our troubleshooting capabilities, allowing us to better demonstrate realistic combat readiness in the event of war,” the Taipei Times reported quoting Ho as saying.

Chinese-language Asia-Pacific Defense magazine editor-in-chief Cheng Chi-wen, a military expert who attended the drill, said that HIMARS has gained international prestige during the Russia-Ukraine war.

Its overall performance is better than the locally made Thunderbolt-2000 multiple launch rocket system, as the GPS-aided navigation system provides HIMARS with powerful and precise attack capabilities, he said.

Given the HIMARS’ superior performance, the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology would be advised to unify its ammunition with that of the Thunderbolt-2000, Cheng said.

It would help the army map out a stronger asymmetric warfare strategy, if HIMARS’ GPS-aided navigation technology can be applied to locally made weapons’ fire control systems to facilitate information sharing between both systems, he said.

The test came a day after Taiwan said it had detected another “joint combat readiness patrol” by China’s military near Taiwan involving warplanes and warships.