TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Opposition lawmakers on Wednesday (Oct. 5) slammed the latest military budget revising an order by the Navy for a 4,500-ton guided missile frigate to a plan for two 2,000-ton ships.

The defense budget for 2022 had listed NT$24.54 billion ($779 million) for the construction of one 4,500-ton frigate as part of a project running from 2019 to 2026, CNA reported. Yet, in the military budget for 2023, the term “new-generation guided missile frigate” has been replaced by “new-generation light missile frigate,” with two to be completed by 2026 for the same amount of money.

Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng (邱國正) came under fire from opposition members of the Legislative Yuan on Wednesday for what they described as a sudden alteration conducted outside their supervision.

The minister explained that the nature of China’s threat had both changed and grown more serious and that the lighter frigates would help the Navy respond to the threat in a more efficient manner.

KMT Legislator Ma Wen-chun (馬文君) responded that most Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) frigates active in Taiwan’s surroundings weighed more than 4,000 tons. She also disputed the legality of changing the size of the ships and the impact on future Navy shipbuilding contracts.