TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Defense Minister Wellington Koo (顧立雄) on Friday warned that a KMT proposal for a pared-down special defense budget with a 2028 deadline would effectively block five major US arms purchases, including HIMARS rocket systems.
The KMT caucus unveiled its version Thursday, setting a budget ceiling of NT$380 billion (US$11.97 billion), per Liberty Times. The bill states that if additional US arms purchases become necessary, the Ministry of National Defense could submit a separate “second-phase special act.”
However, Koo said the proposal does not include the concept of “NT$380 billion plus N,” which some have interpreted as allowing the budget to expand automatically. He emphasized the bill caps funding at NT$380 billion, and any additional funding would require lawmakers to pass a separate law, meaning the idea of simply adding more funds later is inaccurate.
Koo also questioned why items such as spare parts for AH-1W helicopters and repairs for Harpoon missiles were included in the proposal, noting these had already been incorporated into the regular government budget rather than a special budget. This suggests those drafting the bill may not have attended relevant briefings or understood the arms procurement process, he said.
Koo said the KMT proposal requires completion by Dec. 31, 2028, including precision artillery, HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems, TOW 2B missiles, Javelin missiles, and anti-armor unmanned systems, all delivered by that date. He said the deadline is impossible to meet, which would effectively block the five projects.
Koo stressed the Cabinet's NT$1.25 trillion proposal was developed after two years of internal research, taking into account threat assessments and operational requirements, and had received approval from the US government and Congress. Through three channels — military procurement, commercial purchases and commissioned domestic production — it aims to build comprehensive defensive capabilities.
The minister said missing any one component would create major gaps and significantly reduce joint operational effectiveness. He urged lawmakers across party lines to support the defense budget and conduct a rational review.
Responding to the KMT proposal’s “penalty clause,” which stipulates that serious delays would be referred to the Control Yuan for investigation, Koo said completing the projects by Dec. 31, 2028, is impossible. “I really don’t know what the consequences would be,” he added.
Asked about the KMT proposal’s plan to remove C5ISR (command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance) and AI-assisted decision systems — which could leave Taiwan’s so-called “T-Dome” without its brain — Koo said the system integrates everything from sensor to shooter, including high-, medium- and low-altitude air defense and AI-enabled command and control systems.
The overall plan cannot afford gaps, he said, expressing hope lawmakers across party lines would support it.
