Key facts
- Taiwan needs a "hornet's nest" of drones to deter conflict, according to U.S. diplomat Raymond Greene.
- Greene stated drones offer a "game-changing opportunity" to enhance Taiwan's security and reinforce regional peace.
- The U.S. supports Taiwan's military modernization and increased defense spending.
- Taiwan faces stepped-up threats from China, which claims the island as its territory.
- Taiwan's government has proposed a T$210 billion ($6.59 billion) package for drones.
- The opposition KMT has proposed its own drone legislation with a T$240 billion spending cap.
Taiwan requires a significant drone defense capability to deter potential conflict with China, according to Raymond Greene, the top U.S. diplomat to the island. Speaking in Taichung, Greene advocated for turning Taiwan into a "hornet's nest" of air, surface, and subsurface drones, drawing parallels to the effectiveness of defenders in the Ukraine war.
The U.S. views drones as a "game-changing opportunity" for Taiwan's security and to reinforce peace in the region, Greene stated, emphasizing the potential for democratic drone production to strengthen collective deterrence.
Taiwan's government has prioritized asymmetric systems like drones. However, legislative progress has been mixed. In May, parliament approved only two-thirds of President Lai Ching-te's requested $40 billion in extra defense spending, with funds earmarked for U.S. arms. The government has since proposed a new T$210 billion ($6.59 billion) package for surveillance, coastal attack, and small unmanned surface drones through 2031.
The main opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT), has put forward its own drone legislation, proposing a spending cap of T$240 billion over six years, funded from the main budget rather than a special one as the government desires.
President Lai Ching-te underscored the urgency of building asymmetric combat capabilities, describing it as a race against time amid evolving geopolitical situations and modern warfare.