Procurement: Too Little or Too Much in Taiwan

Archives

January 11, 2008: Taiwan has increased its defense budget by 12 percent, to $10.5 billion a year. Some of the additional money is going to buy more Patriot anti-missile missiles, Apache AH-64 helicopter gunships, P-3 maritime search aircraft and S-2 airborne radar surveillance aircraft. All that stuff is from the United States. Taiwan is also buying more locally produced weapons, like the new Hsiung Feng 2E cruise missiles. Many Taiwanese believe that it's not enough, while other feel that it's too much, and just antagonizes the Chinese.