2020/08/21
The Ministry of National Defense issued a press release regarding media reports that "Taiwan is confronted with the problem of a lack of armaments" (August 21, 2020)
Regarding the media report that quoted content of foreign publications that allege that "Taiwan is facing the problem of insufficient armaments", the Ministry of National Defense (MND) stated today (21) that the report is completely inconsistent with the facts and clarifies as follows:
1. The procurement of parts and accessories for the Armed Forces is well stipulated in relevant regulations, and servicemen can apply in accordance with the replenishment and supplement procedure or obtain through multiple channels, such as the hypermarkets. Most importantly, the MND has repeatedly announced and requested that officers soldiers be strictly forbidden to purchase materials on their own.
2. The availability of primary weapons and equipment in the Armed Forces, such as armored vehicles, is currently up to the standard stipulated by the MND and has been verified by various combat exercises. There is no such problem as missing parts or poor quality, and personnel formation will have reached the target of a 90% recruitment rate by the end of the year, so there is also no personnel shortage. Recently, CCP military planes and ships have frequently interfered in Taiwan with provocations and even crossed the median line. In view of these interferences, the Armed Forces has been able to quickly intercept and drive them away, while the report of so-called "heroes come from air combat, with half of the credit from ground support" has seriously violated the facts.