Taiwan in peak period of weapon acquisition to strengthen 'kill chain' functionality against China: Taiwan Defence Ministry

TAIPEI: The Taiwan Ministry of National Defence (MND) on Friday said that the country is in the peak period of weapon acquisition to strengthen its integrated "kill chain" functionality and prevent a Chinese attack, reported Taiwan News.

The ministry further emphasised that they will continue to improve the integration of newly acquired weapons with command and control systems to enhance "kill chain" functionality and hence, doubling combat effectiveness.

"Kill chain" refers to a sequence of tactical steps or processes in which weaponry finds, engages, and "kills" targets in military operations.

Earlier on April 26, the MND submitted a written report titled "Taiwan's Latest Defense Military Preparation and Strategic Actions in the Face of the International Warfare Situation," to the Legislative Yuan (parliament) in the country.

It highlighted that the military is sharing information about the Indo-Pacific with allied countries to construct a regionally integrated deterrence force, Taiwan News reported.

Moreover, this is aimed at jointly addressing the threat from the People's Liberation Army of China (PLA) to ensure peace in the Taiwan Strait, the report stated.

According to the report, Taiwan and the US have established a task force to accelerate arms sales to Taiwan.

The US State Department and the Department of Defence have established a "Tiger Team" to optimize the execution of arms sales to Taiwan, reported Taiwan News.

The report stated that having real-time access to the latest and most accurate battlefield intelligence provides superiority and initiative on the battlefield.

Earlier today, Taiwan's (MND) said that it detected 26 Chinese military aircraft and five naval vessels operating around the nation during the last 24 hours till 6 am (local time) on Friday.

Among the 26 People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, 14 aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait median line, Taiwan's MND said. Two Chinese military aircraft were spotted in the northeast sector of Taiwan's air defence identification zone (ADIZ) and three other fighters entered the southwest ADIZ, Taiwan News reported.

Following China's action, Taiwan monitored the situation using its intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance systems and deployed combat patrol aircraft, naval vessels and land-based air defence missile systems, according to the MND.