Minister of National Defense Lee Jye (
In a speech yesterday at the Legislative Yuan, Lee announced that "the military will temporarily dissolve its missile command, but the command will be re-established once the military has strategic weapons."
He said the currently existing Missile Defense Command units will be reassigned and placed under air force command. In the future, while air-defense missile units will remain under air force command, strategic missile forces will be assigned to a yet-to-be-formed missile command, he added.
"Are you saying the ministry will separate defensive missiles from offensive missiles?" Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Wen-chung (
"I would say long-range strategic weapons will be distinguished from tactical weapons," Lee said.
Lee later told reporters that "the military is doing everything to protect the country."
In the past government officials have said Taiwan is developing medium-range ballistic missiles and cruise missiles, but the defense ministry denied it. Yesterday was the first time the ministry admitted it is developing missiles with offensive capabilities.
However, a researcher at the Chung Shan Institute of Science and Technology who spoke on condition of anonymity, which is in charge of Taiwan's missile production programs, told the Taipei Times that the institute still lacked core technologies to produce medium-range ballistic missiles, especially with regard to terminal-guidance technologies.
According to an article in Jane's Missiles and Rockets published in March last year, Taiwan has developed plans to produce 30 2,000km-range surface-to-surface ballistic missiles and 120 1,000km-range surface-to-surface ballistic missiles. The article said the ballistic missiles were to be based on the domestically produced Tien Kung-serious (Sky Bow, 天弓) missiles.
But at the time the ministry totally denied the journal's article.
The RAND Corp said in a paper in 2002 that Taiwan has been developing 1,000km-range cruise missiles, the Hsiung Feng II-E (Brave Wind,
In its annual report on China's military power in June last year, the US Department of Defense said that Taiwan's military has been trying to develop offensive missile capabilities in an effort to provide a deterrent capability to China.
Former premier Yu Shyi-kun said in September that if China launched 100 missiles against Taiwan, Taiwan should launch 50 missiles against China.
And if China uses missiles to attack Taipei or Kaohsiung, Taiwan should launch missiles to attack Shanghai, Yu said.
Lee yesterday said air-defense missile units including Patriot, Tien Kung and Hawk missile batteries will be placed under air force command after the Missile Defense Command is officially dissolved on Jan. 1 next year.
The missile command was established in April of last year, and gathered the army, navy and air force's different missile units under a single command.
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