Defense News

2025/10/28

Ministry of National Defense Issues Press Release Regarding Public Concerns over “Delays in U.S. Arms Sales Deliveries to Taiwan”

Ministry of National Defense Press Release
Time: 1935 hours, October 28, 2025

In response to public concerns regarding “delays in U.S. arms sales deliveries to Taiwan,” the Ministry of National Defense stated today (October 28) that, since the COVID-19 pandemic, most arms procurement cases affected by global supply chain disruptions and other factors have been executed on schedule or ahead of schedule; the three cases still experiencing delays, including the “F-16V BLK70,” have been managed through Taiwan-U.S. coordination and cooperation to control delivery pacing. The Ministry of National Defense will continue to urge the U.S. side to supervise manufacturers in accelerating production.

The Ministry of National Defense emphasized that all current arms sales cases are strictly controlled by both Taiwan and the United States through various meetings and on-site factory inspections; Taiwan has also reviewed and revised the payment schedules in letters of offer and acceptance to avoid premature payments before equipment delivery and to safeguard its interests. Concurrently, ROC Armed Forces units have implemented various measures to expedite acceptance training, aiming to effectively enhance defensive combat capabilities upon receipt of the equipment.

2025/10/17

Ministry of National Defense Issues Press Release Regarding “PLA’s Joint Combat Readiness Patrol”

Ministry of National Defense Press Release
Time: 1200 hours, October 17, 2025

The Ministry of National Defense stated today (October 17) that, starting at 0837 hours, it successively detected 21 sorties of various PLA main and auxiliary aircraft, including J-16, JH-7, KJ-500, and drones, operating at sea, of which 17 sorties crossed the median line and its extension, entering Taiwan’s northern, central, and southwestern airspace, and coordinated with PLA vessels to conduct harassment in the surrounding air and sea domains under the pretext of a so-called “joint combat readiness patrol.” The ROC Armed Forces employed joint intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance means to closely monitor the situation and dispatched mission aircraft, vessels, and shore-based missile systems to respond appropriately.

About MND

The ROC Constitution stipulates that the ROC national defense aims to defend the nation's security and safeguard world peace. Under this, the nation's defense concepts, military strategies, military buildup, and objectives are formulated to prevent conflict. The current international situation and changes to the possible threat to the ROC are also taken into consideration in the making of defense policies at the current stage. The basic objectives are "preventing war," "defending the homeland," and "countering terrorism and responding to contingencies." The higher strategic goal is "effective deterrence, resolute defense" with the establishment of a quality self-defensive force capable of counterattack. China, though calling for reunification, has never renounced the use of force against Taiwan. It has not only deployed an increasing number of ballistic missiles aimed at Taiwan but also staged large-scale military exercises with an overt saber-rattling intent to destabilize Taiwan politically and economically. Moreover, its robust economic expansion in recent years has fueled its defense spending for greater military muscle. In order to maintain Cross-Strait stability and avoid a military imbalance in the Taiwan Strait, the ROC government is calling for the establishment of confidence-building measures (CBMs) and a code of conduct on the one hand, and, on the other hand, has been constructing basic defense forces and counterattack capability to safeguard the territory without engaging in an arms race with the other side.

Military News