Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan Defense and Foreign Affairs Committee summoned Ministry of National Defense officials Wednesday, ordering a line-item table of loitering-munition stockpiles and resupply lead times before the autumn budget session opens next week.
Calendar and control
Committee chair Han Tung pinned the hearing to a supplemental procurement package that mixes anti-ship missiles with domestically built attack drones. Opposition lawmakers asked whether drone magazines belong in readiness accounts—counted against days of supply—or in general procurement, which faces different freeze rules during impasses.
Deputy Chief of General Staff Lt. Gen. Chen Wei-lin said current inventories meet classified training minimums but declined to read numbers into the public record. He promised a sealed briefing for party whips within 48 hours, a procedural compromise when live-stream cameras remain on.
Industry and NCSIST
Lawmakers questioned National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology executives on production cadence for turbojet loitering systems showcased at past Taipei aerospace shows. Institute slides showed test batches delivered to an Army brigade in Chiayi, but lawmakers noted export-controlled engines still rely on licensed foreign cores—a supply risk if budgets slip.
Defense officials said a second supplier line in Taichung could open in 2027 if appropriations land this fall; without funding, the line stays a pilot.
Vote versus money
No bill passed Wednesday. The committee issued a bipartisan directive requiring the ministry to file stockpile counts by platform type, average monthly expenditure in exercises, and contractor backlogs. Kuomintang staffers said they may attach the table to floor debate if numbers show less than 30 days of training reserves.
District effect
Chiayi and Tainan delegations pressed for maintenance depot jobs tied to drone storage; the ministry pledged to list facility upgrades in the annex. Messaging about “asymmetric defense” will not change law until whips see whether magazines are funded as consumables or capital goods—and that classification determines who can freeze them.
Allies and exercises
Lawmakers asked whether upcoming U.S. training rotations would consume the same drone lots counted in stockpile tables. Chen said exercise expenditures are logged separately but promised the annex would show overlap so committees can see training burn versus war reserve.
Defense reporters noted the hearing landed the same week coast guard cutters practiced interdiction drills near Penghu—unrelated procedurally, but part of the public mood lawmakers referenced when demanding faster resupply.
Next steps
Floor leaders expect the stockpile table to arrive before committee markups on the supplemental package. If numbers disappoint, opposition whips said they will move to freeze procurement of manned platforms until drone magazines meet the 30-day training reserve they cite as a minimum credible deterrent.
Defense budget staffers said the stockpile fight may spill into the general budget if supplemental talks stall—a procedural risk for drone lines that lack multi-year appropriations. Han closed the hearing by reminding the ministry that sealed briefings are not a substitute for annex tables lawmakers can cite in floor speeches.
