Reservists Undergo Drone Training Exercise

TaiwanPlus News

President Lai Ching-te visited reservists in Yilan to observe their training exercises, with an emphasis on drone operations. This comes just days after Lai announced his US$40 billion special defense budget, with the government saying it would procure nearly 50,000 drones over the next two years.

Transcript

00:00President Lai Ching-de is visiting reservist units here on Taiwan's east coast as they

00:04carry out drone training exercises, part of the military's expansion in this field.

00:09Lai recently announced a $40 billion special defense budget, and Taiwan has rolled out

00:13major drone procurement plans, boosted benefits for specialist units, and is now training

00:18reservist to operate drone systems.

00:33All of this, part of a broader push to strengthen the country's defenses in the face of growing

00:37threats from China, which claims Taiwan and has not ruled out taking it by force.

00:41The President says the country plans to be ready to respond to a potential invasion by

00:452027, even as Taiwan faces daily gray zone threats in the air, at sea, and online.

00:51But the Defense Ministry is betting on drones to help with reconnaissance, intelligence

00:55gathering, and long-distance weaponry.

00:57The Defense Ministry is set to acquire nearly 49,000 domestically-made drones over the next

01:01two years, 34,000 first-person view drones, along with around 5,000 bombers and medium and

01:07small-range loitering munitions, as well as more than 700 coastal surveillance drones.

01:12All drones would be 100% free of Chinese components.

01:15Meanwhile, Vice President Bi Kim Shao told Natalie Winters in a sit-down interview for

01:20The War Room that Taiwan hopes to further collaborations with the U.S. on drone development.

01:25Much of the world's drone supply chain currently depends on China, leading countries to seek

01:29alternative sources.

01:31Taiwan has already signed agreements with several European nations to provide drones that are

01:34100% free of Chinese supply chains, and the country is also planning an industrial park

01:38in Jiayi to manufacture drones.

01:41Although less glamorous than displays of air power and big-ticket naval combat drills, these

01:46training exercises are crucial to Taiwan's overall defense strategy.

01:51The President says the goal is to make sure that reservists are training regularly on new

01:55equipment, so that if a conflict ever were to break out, Taiwan would be fully prepared for

01:59whatever comes its way.

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