KMT Legislator Urges Asymmetric Strategic Thinking to Enhance Military Procurement Effectiveness

(CNA, Taipei, April 14) KMT Legislator Chen Yung-kang stated today that given the current asymmetry in cross-strait military power, he urges the government to establish 'asymmetric strategic thinking' and integrate the use of asymmetric tactics for purchased asymmetric weapons to be effective. Premier Cho Jung-tai said he is grateful that Legislative Yuan President Han Kuo-yu will soon convene a cross-party negotiation to allow the military procurement to move a step forward.

Han Kuo-yu is scheduled to preside over a party caucus negotiation on the 15th to discuss the central government's general budget for fiscal year 115 and the draft of the special defense ordinance.

During a general interpellation at the Legislative Yuan, Chen Yung-kang, a former Navy admiral and KMT legislator, pointed out the current imbalance in power and combat capability across the strait. He argued that it is difficult to change this asymmetry purely by discussing asymmetric warfare in terms of weapons and equipment, and called for the government to establish 'asymmetric strategic thinking.'

Chen Yung-kang stated that to build 'asymmetric strategic thinking,' he suggests the Ministry of National Defense revise its 'Quadrennial Defense Review' (QDR) to be like the U.S. 'National Defense Strategy.' The United States canceled its QDR in 2017 and now has a four-year version called the 'U.S. National Defense Strategy,' under which are the military strategy and the Indo-Pacific strategy.

Chen pointed out that when a country has 'asymmetric strategic thinking,' the asymmetric weapons it purchases can only be effective through the integrated use of asymmetric tactics under a comprehensive operational concept. Simply relying on the type, quantity, quality, and operators of weapons cannot offset the cross-strait military imbalance.

Chen Yung-kang stated that Taiwan's defense procurement should integrate its domestic operational procedures with those of the United States, with continuous rolling revisions. This would allow the government to clearly explain where bottlenecks are and how to conduct further communication when discussing the matter. This would be more convenient for future decision-making or discussions in the Legislative Yuan.

Cho Jung-tai noted that Taiwan and the U.S. have built mutual trust through increasingly close relations. The congressional procedures for the current U.S. military procurement are still ongoing. He expressed great appreciation to Han Kuo-yu for the upcoming cross-party negotiation, which will allow the military procurement to advance, and also thanked the U.S. side for extending the deadline, which is based on the understanding, trust, and cooperation between Taiwan and the U.S. (Editor: Wan Shu-chang) 1150414