Taiwan is buying expensive US weapons systems, but are they the right ones?

South China Morning Post · Feb 28, 2026 · Collected from RSS

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Taiwan’s procurement of three US arms packages has come under renewed scrutiny, with military experts now questioning their effectiveness in deterring Beijing.The debate has sharpened after opposition parties repeatedly blocked a proposed NT$1.25 trillion (US$40 billion) special defence budget in the legislature’s procedure committee last month.At the centre of the latest criticism are three US-approved systems for Taiwan: the Patriot PAC-3 missile defence system and its upgrades, the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (Nasams) and the M109A7 Paladin self-propelled howitzer.According to Taiwan’s defence ministry and some military analysts, the purchases will strengthen deterrence as military pressure from Beijing intensifies. Critics counter that the bigger danger is buying the wrong mix, at the wrong price, for the wrong threat.“Not only are these weapons expensive, they do not fit the asymmetric warfare concept we say we are pursuing,” said military expert Lu De-yun, a former defence ministry press secretary, giving Taiwan’s new range-extended Patriot interceptors as an example.PLA kicks off military exercises around TaiwanPLA kicks off military exercises around TaiwanLocal media reported the first batch of PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) missiles arrived in January, with a second delivery expected later this year. According to the reports, Taiwan has procured 102 of the interceptors for about NT$20 billion.