Taipei: Defense officials announced on Wednesday their plans to launch crucial systems by the end of 2027, aimed at integrating counter-drone capabilities throughout the armed forces. This initiative also includes developing an interface to coordinate both military and non-military counter-drone operations.
According to Focus Taiwan, during a meeting of the Legislative Yuan, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wang Ting-yu emphasized the importance of integrating counter-drone systems across various military branches. This comes as the Han Kuang military exercises, which feature drone warfare and counter-drone drills, commenced on the same day. Wang pointed out the current disconnect among the systems used by the military, coast guard, and government-funded companies responsible for critical infrastructure.
Army Chief of Staff Chen Chien-yi clarified that different units are assigned hard-kill and soft-kill capabilities, even though the same combat training unit develops their operational plans. Huang Wen-chi, the head of the Ministry of National Defense's Department of Strategic Planning, noted that while the armed forces possess existing counter-drone systems, they are not yet integrated with the developing counter-drone command-and-control (C2) system.
Wang also referenced former United States Army Pacific commander Charles A. Flynn, who highlighted similar integration issues during the Taiwan-U.S. Defense Industry Forum in May. Wang raised concerns about the potential for uncoordinated systems to interfere with each other and potentially disrupt Taiwan's own drones. He urged for a timeline on when the Ministry of National Defense (MND) plans to incorporate these capabilities into a cohesive C2 system.
Huang responded that several systems designed to integrate military counter-drone capabilities might become operational next year, provided projects stay on track. Wang further suggested establishing an interagency task force to manage counter-drone operations, akin to the United States' Joint Interagency Task Force 401 (JIATF-401).
Li Shih-chiang, the president of the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology, mentioned that the institute is working towards integrating counter-drone systems protecting non-military infrastructure, with a project completion date set for the end of 2027. Once finished, the National Fire Agency will act as the "Big C2" authority, while the MND will determine when to connect its systems. Li emphasized that the readiness of the interface will depend on the overall combat preparedness level.