Taiwan's Drone Law Must Prioritize Military Needs, Scholar Argues

Taiwan's proposed drone legislation should prioritize the operational requirements of the national military, rather than being swayed by the interests of local industries or political parties, according to a prominent military scholar. Shen Ming-shih, a researcher at Taiwan's National Security Research Institute, stated that current legislative proposals risk undermining sound defense planning.

Shen specifically criticized a proposal suggesting that drone production and storage be dispersed across at least three counties, with no single site holding more than 25% of the stock. He argued that such a provision, seemingly aimed at boosting economic benefits for specific regions, ignores commercial logic and the complex realities of industrial operations. "The normal logic of military buildup should be 'first there are operational needs, then there are weapon items,'" Shen explained, emphasizing that decisions on procurement or domestic production should follow identified defense requirements.

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The normal logic of military buildup should be 'first there are operational needs, then there are weapon items.'

The scholar stressed that if drone development is purely for civilian or commercial export, it could fall under the Ministry of Economic Affairs' purview. However, any involvement of national defense needs must be directed by the Ministry of National Defense, which alone understands operational demands, capabilities, and future applications. He urged that the focus should be on building Taiwan's indigenous capabilities, encouraging startups, and pursuing technological collaboration or joint development with countries like Ukraine and the United States, rather than focusing on arbitrary distribution requirements.

Shen warned that if national defense needs are distorted to merely accommodate local industrial development, the entire direction would be fundamentally flawed. He called for swift action to meet the military's urgent needs, asserting that time is running out. The core of the legislation, he reiterated, should not be about where production is located or stock ratios, but about establishing Taiwan's self-reliant drone capabilities.

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If national defense needs are distorted to merely accommodate local industrial development, the entire direction would be fundamentally flawed.