HIMARS Down Payment Approved; Defense Minister Gu Li-hsiung: 'Executive Yuan Approved on the 25th'

To ensure that the down payment of approximately 800 million TWD for the HIMARS multiple launch rocket system can be paid by the 31st, the Ministry of National Defense has applied for emergency expenditure in accordance with Article 84 of the Budget Act. Defense Minister Gu Li-hsiung confirmed today that the Executive Yuan approved the down payment on the afternoon of the 25th. The Legislative Yuan's Finance, Foreign Affairs, and National Defense Committees held a joint meeting today to continue reviewing the "115th Central Government National Security Defense and Asymmetric Combat Capability Enhancement Plan Special Budget Case" submitted by the Executive Yuan. The down payment for the HIMARS system, approximately 800 million TWD, is due on May 31st. To ensure timely payment, the Ministry of National Defense previously applied for emergency expenditure under Article 84 of the Budget Act. The Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics of the Executive Yuan confirmed on the 23rd that the official document had been submitted to the Executive Yuan and was being processed. During the budget review, DPP Legislator Li Kun-cheng expressed concern about the progress of the HIMARS down payment. Gu Li-hsiung stated that the Executive Yuan approved the down payment on the afternoon of the 25th. When Li asked if the funds had been sent, Ministry of National Defense officials added that "the money has been sent." The Ministry of National Defense plans to procure the HIMARS missile system through a special budget, with implementation expected from 2026 to 2032. The total budget is 159,714,034,000 TWD, with 2,799,387,000 TWD allocated for this year.