TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Ely Ratner, former US Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs, praised Taiwan’s goal of increasing its defense budget to 5% of its GDP.

The move would be a major step toward bolstering Taiwan’s defense and resilience, Ratner said, per CNA. President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) announced on Wednesday that he would propose a NT$1.25 trillion (US$40 billion) special defense budget to buy US weapons.

Although it is a reasonable goal, it should not be the sole measure by which Taiwan improves combat readiness, he said. Planning, training, military procurement, and the development of its domestic defense industrial base are equally essential, he added.

The former defense official said that while Foreign Military Sales are important, the US should use other methods in order to deliver weapons systems to Taiwan quickly. Under the FMS process, weapon systems may take several years to be delivered, he said. However, Presidential Drawdown Authority allows the Pentagon to supply defense articles from existing stockpiles, he said.

Ratner believed that US President Donald Trump was sending inconsistent signals regarding Taiwan. On the one hand, Trump has described Taiwan as economically vital to the US in terms of semiconductors and supply chains; on the other, he has expressed a strong desire to reach a deal with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

The most important goal, Ratner emphasized, is enabling Taiwan to produce some military systems domestically, which would strengthen overall security in the Indo-Pacific. He said that Taiwan plays an important role in the Partners in the Indo-Pacific for Industrial Resilience, which was established by the US last year, to strengthen supply-chain resilience in the region. Other US defense officials have confirmed that Taiwan is part of the initiative as an advisor.