00:00President Lai Ching-de is visiting reservist units here on Taiwan's East Coast as they carry out drone training exercises, part of the military's expansion in this field.
00:12Lai recently announced a $40 billion special defense budget, and Taiwan has rolled out major drone procurement plans, boosted benefits for specialist units, and is now training reservists to operate drone systems.
00:23The President says the country plans to be ready to respond to a potential invasion by 2027, even as Taiwan faces daily gray zone threats in the air, at sea, and online.
00:46But the Defense Ministry is betting on drones to help with reconnaissance, intelligence gathering, and long-distance weaponry.
00:51The Defense Ministry is set to acquire nearly 49,000 domestically-made drones over the next two years, 34,000 first-person view drones, along with around 5,000 bombers and medium and small-range loitering munitions, as well as more than 700 coastal surveillance drones.
01:06All drones would be 100% free of Chinese components.
01:10Although less glamorous than displays of air power and big-ticket naval combat drills, these training exercises are crucial to Taiwan's overall defense strategy.
01:19The President says the goal is to make sure that reservists are training regularly on new equipment, so that if a conflict ever were to break out, Taiwan would be fully prepared for whatever comes its way.
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