Ku Li-hsiung: Proposing Unmanned Vehicle Act Based on Operational Needs, Also Monitoring Emerging Technologies

Central News Agency Report

(CNA reporter Lin Jing-yin, Taipei, 14th) As the Russia-Ukraine war continues, unmanned vehicle technology is being widely used and rapidly evolving. Can Taiwan's development of unmanned vehicles keep pace? Defense Minister Ku Li-hsiung stated today that the current special unmanned vehicle act is proposed based on operational needs, and noted the development of emerging technologies. The Ministry of National Defense will conduct verification through small-batch procurement and research projects by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology (CSIST).

Premier Cho Jung-tai led relevant ministry heads to the Legislative Yuan this afternoon to deliver a special report on the Zhonglian Oils soybean salad oil incident and deficiencies in food safety regulatory mechanisms, and to answer questions. Ku made the above remarks before the session.

The Executive Yuan's draft 'Special Act for Self-Reliant Unmanned Vehicle Procurement' and versions proposed by opposition parties were referred to committee review during the Legislative Yuan session on the 3rd. In addition to the Executive Yuan's version, several bills proposed by DPP legislators were also passed by a vote under opposition party majority, and reassigned to joint review by the Economic, Finance, and Foreign and National Defense Committees.

When asked by the media whether Ukraine's trend toward composite unmanned vehicles has been incorporated into the Executive Yuan's special act, and whether it can meet the demands of modern warfare,

Ku Li-hsiung pointed out that this proposed special act is based on previous operational requirements, including coastal surveillance drones, coastal attack drones, and unmanned surface vessels. For other related areas, such as unmanned ground vehicles or underwater unmanned vehicles, the Ministry of National Defense is aware of the development of emerging technologies. The Ministry will conduct verification through small-batch procurement and commission research projects to CSIST. All of these are items the Ministry plans to procure.

Ku stated that system integration, particularly command and control (C2) integration, is also very important. The Ministry of National Defense will strengthen efforts in this area, including introducing AI and verifying system resilience, which are key directions for the Ministry. (Edited by Lin Hsing-meng) 1150714