Taipei: A newly formed company under the 202nd Military Police Command in Taipei has been equipped with United States-made FIM-92 Stinger shoulder-fired missiles and Javelin man-portable anti-tank systems to enhance the defense of the capital city, according to an anonymous source.
According to Focus Taiwan, the new Air Defense Company under the Military Police Command's 228 Artillery Battalion, stationed in Taipei's Shilin District, is deployed with these American air defense systems to strengthen the air defense capabilities of Taipei. Unlike many other countries, Taiwan's military police are a separate branch of the armed forces tasked with protecting government leaders from assassination or capture, guarding strategic facilities, and conducting counterintelligence against enemy infiltrators, spies, and saboteurs.
The Military Police Command confirmed to CNA the existence of the newly established unit, stating that the change was made as part of an ongoing structural reform of the command structure amid rising military threats, without providing further details.
Su Tzu-yun, a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, commented that equipping military police with Stingers and Javelins is expected to significantly enhance the unit's counter-assault and counter-decapitation capabilities. The Stingers would provide a higher mobility short-range air defense, while the Javelins could fend off invading Chinese fast boats from the Tamsui River, he explained.
Su also suggested that Taiwan learn from the U.S. and South Korea by enhancing its air defense system in the capital city. He noted that two U.S. Army National Guard units take turns defending the National Capital Region and U.S. leaders, equipped with a combination of air defense systems, including the Sentinel A4 radar and the NASAMS, along with the Avenger weapon system.
In Seoul, South Korea, the Mistral short-range air defense missile system and KM167A3 anti-air system are deployed within a 3.7 km radius around the Presidential Office in Yongsan, known as the P-73 critical prohibited airspace, Su added.