Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense on August 31 submitted its five-year force development plan and fiscal year 2026 budget to the Legislative Yuan, Taiwan's parliament, detailing 44 priority procurement items designed to sharpen the island's asymmetric warfare capabilities against a growing People's Liberation Army threat.
44 Procurement Items Split Between Domestic Output and US Purchases
The ministry divided its acquisition roadmap into two tracks. On the domestic side, 29 items include a submarine rescue vessel — filling a gap in Taiwan's undersea fleet support — alongside fast minelaying boats, next-generation replenishment ships, wheeled armored combat vehicles, and the domestically developed Strong Bow mid-tier anti-ballistic missile system. The ministry said the Strong Bow deployment aims to build a "Taiwan's Shield" — a layered, high-efficiency air defense network covering critical infrastructure, military targets, and civilian areas.
New combat vessels with enhanced air defense and anti-submarine capabilities are also on the domestic list, as are upgrades to Taiwan's existing fleet.
On the US arms side, 15 items are listed. These include M109A7 precision self-propelled howitzers for real-time fire support across combat units, mobile early warning radars for flexible battlefield intelligence gathering, new munitions-loading vehicles to replace aging equipment, and a combined soft- and hard-kill counter-drone system to work alongside Taiwan's existing air defense network. The ministry also cited procurement of equipment jointly developed with the United States to secure access to emerging military technology.
New Commands Formalize Taiwan's Pivot Toward Unmanned Systems
Alongside the procurement plan, the ministry reported that several structural changes to Taiwan's armed forces are already underway. These include the establishment of an Army Unmanned Systems Training Command, a Navy Littoral Combat Command, a Marine Corps drone battalion and fire battalion, and an Air Force MQ-9B unmanned aircraft unit. The ministry framed these changes as reflecting a forward-looking approach to modern conflict, guided by a stated doctrine of "technology replacing manpower, firepower replacing traditional force."
Looking ahead, the ministry said future military investment will emphasize the C5ISR network — shorthand for the integrated command, control, communications, computers, cyber, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance architecture — alongside AI-assisted decision support systems. These capabilities will be paired with long-range precision weapons and asymmetric warfare equipment to form what the ministry called a "high-technology kill chain," in pursuit of the strategic objective of "multi-domain denial and layered attrition." The doctrine is designed to slow or stop any PLA crossing and landing operation at every phase, the ministry said, imposing heavy costs in time and casualties sufficient to constitute a credible deterrent.
