TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) said at a high-level national security meeting on Wednesday that his proposed T-Dome is essential to protect Taiwan because a Chinese invasion would involve missile strikes.

Lai announced that to strengthen key capabilities for future warfare, the Ministry of National Defense has drafted a special defense budget of NT$1.25 trillion (US$40 billion) for 2026–2033, per CNA.

Defense Minister Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said the plan focuses on seven objectives: a multilayered air defense and interception network, command-and-control and decision-support systems, multi-tiered attrition operations, long-range precision strikes, enhanced operational resilience, expanded armament capacity, and defense-driven economic benefits.

When asked about China’s arsenal of over 1,000 missiles and whether the T-Dome could integrate existing capabilities or withstand a saturation attack, Koo said building a dense, multilayered air defense network requires artificial intelligence. He said this includes establishing a rapid-response battlefield decision system and unifying US-made and domestically produced detection and interception systems under a single battle-management platform to create a common operational picture.

This would enable improved firepower coordination and higher interception rates. He added that the military will move quickly to build the T-Dome in line with Lai’s policy directives.

Lai said that the T-Dome aims to achieve three goals: layered defense across high, medium, and low altitudes, integration of artificial intelligence, and enhanced situational awareness and effective interception. He stressed China’s growing missile arsenal means that any attack on Taiwan would certainly involve missile strikes, making it essential to preserve military combat power, protect critical infrastructure, and ensure public safety.