President Tsai Ing-wen said Aug. 6 that development of indigenous weapons systems is the backbone of the government’s national defense strategy, with production of Taiwan’s first submarine playing a key role in the process.
Homegrown subs will enhance the navy’s operational capabilities while strengthening the spirit of the armed forces, Tsai said. They also represent the innovative approach of the government to meeting its obligations to the fighting men and women of Taiwan, as well as the people, she added.
The president, who made the remarks during the unveiling of a monument at ROC Navy Command in Taipei City, said Taiwan is a maritime nation that must be able to patrol and protect its shipping lanes. Recent developments in the Indo-Pacific and around the world pose an increasingly complex national security threat, she added.
According to Tsai, the government will address this challenge by increasing the 2019 national defense budget by NT$18.3 billion (US$597.45 million) to NT$346 billion, or 2.16 percent of Taiwan’s gross domestic product.
A total NT$73.6 billion of the budget—up 51.44 percent year on year—is earmarked for projects involving indigenous weapons systems, the president said, adding that this is expected to fast-track progress on boosting Taiwan’s defense self-sufficiency.
According to the Ministry of National Defense, the navy operates four diesel-electric submarines. The Haihu and Hailung were purchased from the Netherlands and commissioned in the late 1980s, while the Haipao and Haishih are former U.S. Navy boats acquired in the early 1970s.
Under an agreement concluded in March 2017 by the MND, National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology in northern Taiwan’s Taoyuan City and CSBC Corporation, Taiwan, in southern Taiwan’s Kaohsiung City, the first domestically built submarine is expected to enter service within 10 years. (SFC-E)
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