New Southbound Policy Portal
The 2017 edition of the biennial National Defense Report was published Dec. 26 by the Ministry of National Defense. (Courtesy of Military News Agency)
Published in book form, the report is divided into five chapters examining the regional and global security environments, current status of military forces, indigenous defense industry, national defense policies, and military morale and training, respectively.
In his introduction to the report, MND Minister Feng Shih-kuan said the Republic of China (Taiwan) military plays a key role in maintaining regional peace and stability. As the nation cannot compete with mainland China in terms of military budgets and force development, the ministry is committed to adopting innovative asymmetric strategies that can deter threats and ensure national security, he added.
According to the report, to boost asymmetric capabilities, the country is fostering a multilayered national defense infrastructure based on effectiveness, concealment, mobility, speed and unpredictability. Related measures include expanding cybersecurity and electronic forces, producing short-range missiles for coastal defense and introducing smart technologies.
In terms of cultivating the nation’s indigenous defense industry, the report outlines efforts to combine resources from the public, private and academic sectors in researching, developing and manufacturing aircraft, ships, submarines and other military technologies. To maintain cutting-edge national defense capabilities, the nation will also continue to procure arms internationally, the report said.
The document further outlines the country’s recent national defense accomplishments, including the commissioning of a fleet of P-3C Orion antisubmarine surveillance aircraft Dec. 1 and the establishment of the Information, Communications and Electronic Force Command under the MND in June.
This year’s edition of the biennial report also features an abridged comic book version. According to the MND, the illustrated publication aims to raise awareness among the nation’s young people about the government’s efforts to safeguard regional peace and stability. (KWS-E)