Defense budget delay could stall upgrades: KooBy Huang Ching-hsuan / Staff reporterFailure to complete the signing of an offer on US arms procurement included in the Executive Yuan’s proposed NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.7 billion) special defense budget could raise serious doubts among democratic allies about Taiwan’s commitment to self-defense, Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said yesterday. Speaking at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, Koo added that it would mean that the procurement process would have to be restarted and cause delays in upgrading the military’s combat capabilities. The Executive Yuan on Nov. 27 approved the NT$1.25 trillion special defense budget plan and forwarded it to the Legislative Yuan for review. On Friday, it blocked the special defense budget for the eighth time. Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo speaks at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee in Taipei yesterday.
