Taiwan launches firepower hub with US as Beijing steps up military pressure
Taipei is ramping up coordination between its US-made weapons systems and locally developed missile capabilities
The new Joint Firepower Coordination Centre – the highest-level facility of its kind in Taiwan – is designed to coordinate long-range precision strike planning and intelligence-sharing across the island’s military services.
This comes as Taipei ramps up coordination between its US-made weapons systems and locally developed missile capabilities.
Asked to comment on the centre ahead of a legislative meeting on Monday, Taiwanese Defence Minister Wellington Koo Li-hsiung said that military cooperation with the US was nothing new.
“Taiwan and the United States already maintain institutionalised mechanisms for military exchanges, and cooperation across various fields will continue to deepen to strengthen Taiwan’s defensive and combat capabilities,” Koo said.
However, he declined to disclose operational details, citing security considerations.
Koo also rejected claims by local media that the centre amounted to the US “supervising” Taiwan’s military.
“Our existing command mechanisms are already in place. There is no such thing as ‘supervising’ by the US,” he said.
According to lawmakers and analysts, the centre will help Taiwan to make the most of its expanding arsenal of long-range precision weapons.
The programme, announced by Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te in November, aims to create a multilayered integrated defence system against missile, rocket, drone and warplane attacks from mainland China.
“In reality, Taiwan operates different layers of sensors and radars, as well as different weapons launch platforms,” Chen said at Monday’s legislative meeting.
“All of these need to be linked through a complete network architecture, including multi-track fusion and intelligence integration, to generate a composite picture for military operations.”
Chen said the Taiwanese military had dozens, if not hundreds, of radar systems, both fixed and mobile, and had begun incorporating the US Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS) concept.
IBCS is a cutting-edge command-and-control system that connects radars, sensors and weapons across services and platforms into a single, unified battlespace view.
However, because Taiwan’s space-based capabilities remained limited, it still relied heavily on US early-warning satellites and reconnaissance systems, Chen said.
“The purpose of the Joint Firepower Coordination Centre is C5ISR plus T – targeting,” Chen said, referring to the system for command, control, communications, computers, cyber, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.
“For fixed targets, Taiwan already has coordinates. But for mobile targets, the timing window is extremely short and requires rapid coordination. From this perspective, working with the US to establish this mechanism is a very positive development.”
01:37
Taiwan sees spike in PLA military activity as island stages defence drills
Taiwan sees spike in PLA military activity as island stages defence drills
Chieh Chung, an analyst at the government-funded Institute for National Defence and Security Research, said the centre’s primary role was to help Taiwan and the US track the movements and deployments of specific People’s Liberation Army units.
It was also designed to monitor high-value maritime targets such as amphibious assault ships and naval task groups, and to use this intelligence to draw up designated strike target lists – targets that Taiwan would need to hit immediately if a conflict broke out, Chieh said.
“Such intelligence also helps to assess whether the PLA is showing signs of preparing to use force against Taiwan,” he added.
Over the next five years or so, Taiwan is expected to acquire several thousand precision-guided munitions through a mix of US arms purchases and local production, according to its defence ministry.
These include the Taiwan-made Hsiung Feng III supersonic anti-ship cruise missiles, extended-range Hsiung Feng IIE land-attack missiles, the long-range Yun Feng high-altitude, high-speed cruise missile, and US-made M57 army tactical missiles for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (Himars).
Some of these systems have strike ranges of between 700 and 1,000km (435 to 620 miles), giving Taiwan the ability to conduct long-range cross-strait attacks.
The American land-based Harpoon anti-ship missile system, with 400 units approved and initial deliveries expected this year, would also provide new precision-strike options against surface vessels.
Analysts said the new centre could significantly boost Taiwan’s firepower projection by shortening targeting cycles and boosting coordination across different services and platforms.
The launch of the centre comes amid political uncertainty over Taiwan’s biggest US weapons package to date – a US$11.1 billion deal announced in December and notified to Congress for review.
Lai has proposed a NT$1.25 trillion (US$39 billion) special defence budget that would fund weapons procurement, including the US package. But the KMT and the smaller opposition Taiwan People’s Party have repeatedly blocked it from being sent to the legislature’s procedural committee.
Huang Wen-chi, director general of the defence ministry’s strategic planning department, said during Monday’s legislative session that Taiwan expected to soon receive formal letters of offer and acceptance (LOAs) for five US weapons systems.
However, if the documents were “not processed within the 45-day validity period, the entire procurement process may have to be restarted” – potentially adding more than eight months of delays, Huang warned.
02:49
People’s Liberation Army holds second day of live-fire exercises around Taiwan
People’s Liberation Army holds second day of live-fire exercises around Taiwan
Koo warned that failure to sign the LOAs on schedule could seriously delay Taiwan’s military modernisation and raise doubts among the US and other democratic partners about Taipei’s commitment to self-defence.
“If the procurement process has to start over, the enhancement of our combat capabilities will be severely delayed, and our partners – including the United States – will seriously question whether Taiwan has the determination to defend itself,” he told lawmakers.
The five US weapons systems notified to Congress are M109A7 self-propelled howitzers, Himars launchers, Javelin and Tow anti-tank missile systems, and loitering munitions.
Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China to be reunited by force if necessary. It has intensified military pressure on the island since 2024, when Lai took office and provoked the mainland by saying that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait “are not subordinate to each other”.
The PLA pressure has included large-scale drills like “Justice Mission 2025” in December, launched shortly after the US weapons package was announced, as well as blockade simulations and frequent fighter jet fly-bys.
Most countries, including the US, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state, but Washington is opposed to any attempt to take the self-ruled island by force and is committed to supplying it with weapons.