Taipei: Taiwan should urgently strengthen its domestic defense manufacturing capabilities to become more self-reliant in a crisis and give potential allies more time to respond, a visiting former United States defense official has said. Jedidiah Royal, former principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs, emphasized the need for Taiwan to develop its indigenous defense industry during his visit to Taipei on Tuesday.

According to Focus Taiwan, Royal expressed disappointment with Taiwan's opposition-controlled Legislature's decision in May to pass a special defense budget that excluded funding for domestic defense production initially proposed by the Cabinet. He noted that this decision indicated a lack of urgency among some in Taiwan regarding the importance of bolstering the nation's domestic defense manufacturing capacity. However, Royal remained hopeful that this issue could be addressed in the coming months.

Following the approval of the special budget for NT$780 billion (US$24.2 billion) to purchase U.S.-made weapons, Taiwan's Cabinet proposed an additional six-year special budget of NT$210 billion to procure domestically produced drones. In response, the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) and Taiwan People's Party (TPP) suggested a NT$240 billion budget for Taiwan-made drones, but suggested that the funding come from the general budget instead of a separate special budget funded by issuing debt.

Royal highlighted the strategic importance of Taiwan's defense manufacturing capabilities in the event of a crisis or conflict along the First Island Chain, which includes Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, and Malaysia. He explained that U.S. forces would likely first deploy to nearby regions such as Japan, the Philippines, South Korea, and Australia before taking further action. Therefore, the existing defense industrial capacity in the region is crucial, as it cannot be created spontaneously during a crisis.

Royal also stressed the need for Taiwan to strengthen its ability to counter potential amphibious landing campaigns by China and maintain sea and air lines of communication to protect critical infrastructure. By focusing on these areas, Taiwan could create crucial time with its military strategy, allowing the global community to cooperate effectively in challenging scenarios.

Royal's visit to Taiwan was part of his participation in the 10th Ketagalan Forum, a one-day conference on Indo-Pacific security organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research.