Joseph Wu vows defense investmentCOLLECTIVE DETERRENCE: Whether the Legislative Yuan passes the special defense budget matters to the mutual trust between Taiwan and its allies, a researcher saidBy Su Ying-yao / Staff reporterAlthough the US Department of Defense’s newly released 2026 National Defense Strategy (NDS) report does not mention Taiwan like previous versions, National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) yesterday emphasized that Taiwan, as a key nation in the Indo-Pacific region, would continue to increase defense investment to deter aggression and maintain peace. Wu posted the remarks on social media in English, saying that the core objective of the US is to prevent China from dominating the Indo-Pacific region. Wu wrote: “@DeptofWar’s #NDS sets the goal of preventing countries like #China from dominating the #IndoPacific, & erecting strong denial defense along the #1stIslandChain. #Taiwan is a key player in the region & will continue to invest in defense to deter aggression & achieve peace.”National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu speaks at an event in Taipei on Oct. 21 last year. The Institute for National Defense and Security Research’s Shen Ming-shih (沈明室) said the defense strategy needs to align with the White House’s National Security Strategy, which has repeatedly emphasized the importance of Taiwan and the first island chain.
