President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) defended a proposed eight-year special defense budget of NT$1.25 trillion (about US$40 billion), declaring that Taiwan’s national defense, security, and support for service members “cannot wait.”Speaking at a Presidential Office press conference Feb. 11 titled “National Security Cannot Wait! Support the Special Act for Defense Procurement,” Lai was joined by Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴). Minister of National Defense Koo Li-hsiung (顧立雄) and Chief of the General Staff Admiral Mei Chia-shu (梅家樹) delivered follow-up briefings. Commanders of the Army, Navy, and Air Force were all in attendance. Lai noted that the fourth session of the 11th Legislative Yuan has concluded, but the Executive Yuan’s proposed special defense budget act has been blocked for two months and has yet to be sent to committee for review. He expressed hope that when the new legislative session begins, lawmakers can usher in a fresh start and complete deliberations on the bill. The president stressed that raising Taiwan’s defense spending and safeguarding national security is by no means provocative, but rather a demonstration of the country’s determination to defend itself and contribute to global security — an approach that he said has received strong support from the international community. Amid an increasingly complex regional security environment, Lai said the armed forces’ most urgent need is timely access to advanced and precision weaponry to defend Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu, and to ensure the safety of lives and property. In his remarks, Lai thanked the US government for its support, noting that Washington has provided Taiwan with pricing offers for defense equipment. He said Taiwan’s commitment to self-defense has also drawn public backing from the White House and bipartisan members of the US Senate. However, he warned that continued delays in passing the budget could risk Taiwan losing priority status in the US arms sales queue, delaying the delivery of critical systems and raising doubts internationally about Taiwan’s resolve to defend itself.On Feb. 6, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order to reorder the priority list of US arms customers, giving precedence to countries with higher defense spending and strategic importance in their regions, and ending the previous “first come, first served” principle, according to Reuters.At the briefing, Chief of the General Staff Mei said the special defense budget would focus on building “multi-layered deterrence” and “resilient defense” capabilities. Planned procurements include domestically developed Hsiung Feng missiles, M109A7 self-propelled howitzers, HIMARS multiple-launch rocket systems, various attack drones and unmanned surface vessels, and C5ISR systems. He cautioned that the US side has already submitted a draft pricing letter for the M109A7 howitzers, and if the special budget is not approved by the end of March, the entire procurement could canceled. A serviceman stands next to the national flag amid intensified Lunar New Year readiness training. (MNA)