TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A US Congressional Research Service report published on Tuesday expressed concern about the challenges Taiwan faces in bolstering its defense.
The report said the standoff between Taiwan’s ruling and opposition political parties over the nation’s defense budget has “raised questions about Taiwan’s ability to adequately fund its own defense.” The KMT and TPP have rejected a review of President Lai Ching-te’s (賴清德) proposed NT$1.25 trillion (US$35.64 billion) special defense budget 10 times and instead voted to deliberate a draft NT$400 billion defense budget proposed by the TPP.
Military recruitment, training and retention are also issues that need to be addressed, the report said. It added that Taiwan’s energy, food, water, and other infrastructure “is vulnerable to external disruption.” Some analysts argue Taiwan needs to strengthen civil defense as well, per the report.
Despite these concerns, the report acknowledged Taiwan has made an effort to strengthen military readiness, and it has increased its defense budget at an average rate of approximately 5% per year between 2019 and 2023. Lai has pledged to raise defense spending to 3.3% of GDP in 2026.
The report said increasing Chinese gray zone activities around Taiwan “provide training and intelligence-gathering opportunities” and put a strain on Taiwan’s military resources. These activities also normalize Chinese operations during peacetime and “could undermine Taipei’s ability to discern the imminence of an attack.”
The report said Taiwan has a few advantages against a Chinese invasion, including its geography and US support. “Taiwan’s mountains and densely populated west coast are poorly suited for amphibious landing and invasion operations,” it said. The report pointed out that the Taiwan Strait is approximately 70 nautical miles wide at its narrowest point and is dangerous to travel through during specific times of the year.
In terms of US support, the White House notified Congress of more than NT$1.23 trillion in Foreign Military Sales between 2015 and 2025, according to the report. Since 2022, the White House has announced three Presidential Drawdown Authority packages for Taiwan totaling about NT$47.3 billion. Additionally, the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act approved about NT$31.5 billion for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative, which facilitates military training, medical support and joint drone development with the US.
The US has been pushing Taiwan to adopt a more asymmetric defense strategy that requires cost-effective weapons to fend off Chinese forces. This includes anti-ship missiles, naval mines, and other mobile systems, the report said. Taiwan has begun to move in this direction, but some Taiwanese military officials still prioritize conventional weapons like fighter jets and ships.
