Ever since Taiwan acquired two Swordfish-class diesel-electric submarines from the Netherlands in the 1980s, China has been trying hard to block Taiwan’s chances of acquiring another submarine.
The closest opportunity Taiwan had to procure more submarines was during the administration of former US president George W. Bush, who approved the sale of eight diesel-electric submarines, P-3C anti-submarine surveillance aircraft and Patriot surface-to-air missile systems to Taiwan — known as the “three arms procurements.”
However, then-Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and his adviser Su Chi (蘇起) directed KMT lawmakers to boycott the review of the arms sales. Eventually, despite the military threat that China posed, Taiwan failed to complete any of the procurements.
Among the three, plans to procure new submarines encountered the most difficulty: As of 2006, KMT lawmakers had stalled the budget review 69 times. When Ma was elected president in 2008, Su became secretary-general of the National Security Council, and the Ma administration intensified its opposition to the submarine procurement.
Given the internal and external pressures, the acquisition of new submarines became a distant prospect, while Taiwanese officers and soldiers toiled under the risk of operating the two World War II submarines, which have been in service for more than 70 years, to safeguard the nation’s waters.
Fortunately, Admiral Chen Yung-kang (陳永康) and others continued to work hard to develop an “indigenous defense submarine” (IDS) program, and the biggest turning point came when President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) came to power in 2016.
Giving her full support to the IDS program, Tsai promoted Admiral Huang Shu-kuang (黃曙光) to navy commander in 2016, and in 2020, chief of the general staff and convener of the program.
Through the assistance of retired navy captain Kuo Hsi (郭璽), British firm Gavron Ltd and Ian McGhie, retired commodore of the British Royal Navy’s submarine fleet, Taiwan quietly recruited senior engineers from multiple countries to teach and assist in the design and construction of submarines.
Meanwhile, in April 2018, the US Department of State also released a “marketing license” for US companies to assist Taiwan in obtaining the required “red-zone” technologies.
In May 2019, a groundbreaking ceremony was held for the IDS factory at CSBC Corp, Taiwan’s Kaohsiung branch. In November 2020, the factory, named the “Haichang Building,” was completed. Three weeks later on Nov. 24, Tsai attended a ceremony for the opening of the factory.
In less than eight years under Tsai’s presidency, the IDS program has grown from zero and is about to yield positive results, thanks to many unsung heroes for their contributions — including the navy, the 256th Battlegroup of the submarine fleet, retired navy captain Yang Yi (楊易) and workers at CSBC, which operates on a 24-hour three-shift scheme.
Unfortunately, apart from external Chinese pressure, a group of people in Taiwan have been sabotaging this “Taiwan miracle” for their own gains, disregarding national security. Taiwanese should unite wholeheartedly to protect this miracle.
Moreover, they must act to ensure that the budget for the next submarine is passed as soon as possible to enhance the shipbuilding capacity that the nation has struggled to cultivate and turn Taiwan into a strategic power.
Chu-Ke Feng-yun is a military blogger.
Translated by Eddy Chang
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