The Ministry of National Defense should comprehensively gauge the risks in budgeting more than NT$28.4 billion (US$888.39 million) to build seven more submarines over the next 14 years, given that it has yet to complete the performance assessment of its prototype submarine, the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center said in a recent report.
The center cautioned the ministry after reviewing its budget plan for next year.
The peak of the expenditure would be from 2029 to 2032, with the budget varying between NT$29.1 billion and NT$32.1 billion, the plan showed.
Photo: Lee Hui-chou, Taipei Times
The seven new submarines would carry the US-made heavyweight Mark 48 torpedo, which is also in its prototype submarine, the Hai Kun (海鯤), a source familiar with the submarine-building project said.
The navy would build two new submarines based on the prototype in the first phase, followed by three in the second phase and two in the third phase, the source said.
As it would take 14 years to complete the project, the military hopes to have the flexibility to procure more advanced heavyweight torpedoes at latter phases based on combat demands, the source added.
However, the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center expressed reservations about how the ministry budgeted the funding.
“The ministry is still conducting a harbor acceptance trial and a sea acceptance trial of the nation’s first self-developed and self-built submarine. Whether the trial results meet the navy’s expectations, and whether the results would alter structures and functions of new submarines could all put the appropriateness and justification of the budget plan into question,” the center said in its report.
“The navy had said that if the prototype submarine did not pass the trials, it would not sign contracts to construct new submarines until after all defects have been addressed. This showed that uncertainties remain about the rationality and feasibility of the budget allocated to build submarines. The navy needs to carefully consider the potential risks involved,” it said.
The center in the report also advised the navy to periodically brief the public about the trial results of the prototype submarine to reduce people’s concerns and doubts about the project.
The navy should also properly disclose the weapons that it is likely to procure and install on the new submarines, the center said.
CAUTION: Based on intelligence from the nation’s security agencies, MOFA has cautioned Taiwanese travelers about heightened safety risks in China-friendly countries The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday urged Taiwanese to be aware of their safety when traveling abroad, especially in countries that are friendly to China. China in June last year issued 22 guidelines that allow its courts to try in absentia and sentence to death so-called “diehard” Taiwanese independence activists, even though Chinese courts have no jurisdiction in Taiwan. Late last month, a senior Chinese official gave closed-door instructions to state security units to implement the guidelines in countries friendly to China, a government memo and a senior Taiwan security official said, based on information gathered by Taiwan’s intelligence agency. The
The National Immigration Agency (NIA) said yesterday that it will revoke the dependent-based residence permit of a Chinese social media influencer who reportedly “openly advocated for [China’s] unification through military force” with Taiwan. The Chinese national, identified by her surname Liu (劉), will have her residence permit revoked in accordance with Article 14 of the “Measures for the permission of family- based residence, long-term residence and settlement of people from the Mainland Area in the Taiwan Area,” the NIA said in a news release. The agency explained it received reports that Liu made “unifying Taiwan through military force” statements on her online
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said yesterday that it is looking to hire 8,000 people this year, at a time when the tech giant is expanding production capacity to maintain its lead over competitors. To attract talent, TSMC would launch a large-scale recruitment campaign on campuses across Taiwan, where a newly recruited engineer with a master’s degree could expect to receive an average salary of NT$2.2 million (US$60,912), which is much higher than the 2023 national average of NT$709,000 for those in the same category, according to government statistics. TSMC, which accounted for more than 60 percent
Tung Tzu-hsien (童子賢), a Taiwanese businessman and deputy convener of the nation’s National Climate Change Committee, said yesterday that “electrical power is national power” and nuclear energy is “very important to Taiwan.” Tung made the remarks, suggesting that his views do not align with the country’s current official policy of phasing out nuclear energy, at a forum organized by the Taiwan People’s Party titled “Challenges and Prospects of Taiwan’s AI Industry and Energy Policy.” “Taiwan is currently pursuing industries with high added- value and is developing vigorously, and this all requires electricity,” said the chairman
RSS