《TAIPEI TIMES》Taiwan needs a ‘hornet’s nest’ of drones: US envoy

American Institute in Taiwan Director Raymond Greene speaks at drone industry forum in Taichung yesterday. Photo: Tsai Shu-yuan, Taipei Times

NEXT GUARDIAN MOUNTAIN:Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen said the nation has a good base for the drone industry and expressed hope in a Taiwan-US drone collaboration

By Ben Blanchard / Reuters Taiwan needs a “hornet’s nest” of drones to help deter conflict and provide security, American Institute in Taiwan （AIT） Director Raymond Greene said yesterday.

The US, Taiwan’s most important international backer and arms supplier, despite a lack of formal diplomatic ties, has strongly supported Taipei’s military modernization plan and increased defense spending.

Taiwan says it needs to bolster its defenses in the face of stepped-up threats from China, which has not renounced the use of force to bring the nation under its control.

Speaking at a forum on drones in Taichung, Greene said drones represented a “game-changing opportunity” to enhance Taiwan’s security and reinforce peace in the broader region.

Taiwan and the US could anchor “democratic” drone production and enhance the collective deterrence posture of the free world, Greene said.

“Fortunately for Taiwan, drones have significantly boosted defenders, even when facing overwhelming odds,” he said, referring to the war in Ukraine. “Nothing will deter conflict more effectively than turning Taiwan into a hornet’s nest of air, surface and subsurface drones.”

In her address, Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen （盧秀燕） said the US, Japan and Europe are all developing their drone industries, describing the trend not only as competition, but also as a new opportunity for cooperation.

Uncrewed vehicles are a fast-growing global industry, and Taiwan has the technology, manufacturing capacity, supply chains and talent — along with the advantage of trust from democratic partners for it, she said.

Taiwan should work to attract global business opportunities and elevate central Taiwan’s industrial capabilities to the international market, Lu said.

Expressing hope that Taiwan and the US would collaborate to build what she described as the nation’s next “guardian mountain” industry, Lu also urged the central government to prioritize drone-related resources in Taichung, aiming to develop central Taiwan into a major uncrewed vehicle industry corridor.

While the central government has prioritized drones and other asymmetric systems, in May, the opposition-controlled legislature passed only two-thirds of a NT1.25 trillion （US$39.17 billion） special defense budget requested by President William Lai （賴清德）, earmarking funds only for US arms.

The Cabinet has proposed a NT$210 billion special budget package for surveillance, coastal attack and small uncrewed surface drones through the end of 2031.

The legislature on Friday last week voted to delay the review of the Cabinet’s proposed special budget bill for drone procurement, saying it plans to draft its own versions of the legislation.

The dispute centers on the Executive Yuan’s proposal to fund the program through a special budget, while the opposition parties argue it should instead be financed through the annual budget process.

The Chinese Nationalist Party （KMT） on Tuesday proposed its own drone legislation, with a spending cap of NT$240 billion over six years, and annual spending capped at NT$40 billion.

The Taiwan People’s Party proposed returning spending to the annual budget process with no overall cap.

Deputy Legislative Speaker Johnny Chiang （江啟臣） said that all proposed versions are expected to be addressed at the legislature’s plenary session today.

Additional reporting by Su Chin-feng 新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES