As Taiwan’s first domestically built submarine, Narwhal, is going through the final phase of harbor and sea acceptance tests before being delivered to the navy, president-elect William Lai (賴清德) has vowed to speed up the planned production of seven more domestic submarines, showcasing his determination to boost Taiwan’s self-defense capability.
During an inspection of the Taiwan-built Yunlin patrol vessel and the Narwhal last month, Lai reportedly gave instructions to accelerate domestic submarine production. He asked for seven submarines to be built in one go, while the heads of the indigenous submarine program proposed building the next seven vessels in three batches, either by producing three, then two and another two; or producing two, then three and then two.
Following President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) carrying out of challenging military reforms including building a domestic submarine prototype and resuming one-year conscription, Lai’s pledge to expedite the production of more domestic subs is a sound commitment to continuing Taiwan’s independent self-defense policy and fostering the domestic defense industry.
According to a 2022 Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) report, domestic production accounted for 92 percent of China’s total weapons procurement, surpassing Japan’s 74 percent, the US’ 65 percent and Taiwan’s 64 percent.
Due to the military conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza and other regions, the latest data on international arms transfers in SIPRI’s report indicated that many countries in Europe, the Middle East and Asia have increased arms imports. Despite its major arms supplier, the US, having increased its arms exports, Taiwan is facing delays in US arms shipments, with more than 19 outstanding purchases worth an estimated US$22 billion, including missiles, rocket launchers and upgraded F-16 jets, to be delivered in 2027 or later. The delays have raised worries about Taiwan’s preparedness for a potential cross-strait crisis.
Furthermore, although it has been widely suggested that Taiwan should adopt an asymmetric defense strategy to counter a possible invasion by China, a growing number of national defense officers and experts, including some interviewed in a March 18 Wall Street Journal article, said that Taiwan needs traditional hardware, such as tanks, ships and jet fighters, and lighter asymmetric weapons, such as shoulder-fired missiles, drones and small arms that could be widely distributed among the population.
A survey conducted last year by the Institute for National Defense and Security Research showed that more than 85 percent of Taiwanese supported the domestic research and development of armaments, compared with 65 percent who supported increasing arms purchases from international suppliers.
Despite some opposition party lawmakers’ repeated criticisms regarding the efficacy of developing domestic submarines and threats to freeze budgets, Lai’s instruction to hasten the manufacture of the subs has quashed speculation that Taiwan has suspended the domestic sub production due to budget shortfalls.
Adapting to international changes and the escalating tensions in the Taiwan Strait, the new government must map out a new arms procurement strategy comprising an appropriate mixture of international purchases and domestic production to enhance Taiwan’s defense and security.
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