Key facts
- Taiwan plans to spend US$850 million to quadruple its ammunition stockpile to 120 days' supply.
- The six-year program runs from 2024 to 2031.
- The military plans to prioritize purchases of 120mm and 105mm tank rounds, 30mm cannon rounds, and 155mm howitzer propellant charges.
- The program aims to replenish ammunition depleted during frequent military exercises and drills.
- The Ministry of National Defense allocated NT$7.3 billion for the program after Executive Yuan approval on September 3.
Taiwan's military is set to embark on a six-year, NT$27.59 billion (US$850 million) program to quadruple its combat ammunition stockpile to 120 days' supply. The initiative, running from 2024 to 2031, aims to bolster the island's capacity to sustain operations in the event of a cross-strait conflict that could cut off external supply lines.
The Ministry of National Defense allocated NT$7.3 billion for the program after the Executive Yuan approved it on September 3, with a similar amount expected to be allocated next year. Lieutenant General Huang Wen-chi, director of the Department of Strategic Planning, stated that the program needs acceleration to replenish ammunition depleted by increasingly frequent military exercises and drills.
Priorities for procurement include 120mm and 105mm tank rounds, 30mm cannon rounds, and 155mm howitzer propellant charges. These purchases are intended to meet the heavy ammunition consumption anticipated during high-intensity combat scenarios before newly established domestic defense production lines become fully operational. The program was initially considered under the Executive Yuan’s Special Act for Strengthening Defense Resilience and Asymmetric Capabilities, which had a NT$1.25 trillion special defense budget, but the legislature capped this at NT$780 billion, prioritizing US military weapons over general-purpose ammunition and production line expansion.