TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of National Defense recently revealed details of four planned missile bases to bolster Taiwan’s coastal defense.
The four bases are under construction in Pingtung, Kaohsiung, Tainan, and Taitung, Liberty Times reported. The Pingtung and Kaohsiung bases cost a total of NT$1.86 billion (US$57.46 million), while the ones in Tainan and Taitung cost NT$1.61 billion and NT$1.57 billion, respectively. The Kaohsiung base will be the first to be completed in late 2025 or early 2026 and house land-based Harpoon missiles.
The ministry purchased 100 coastal-based Harpoon missile systems and 400 land-based Harpoon Block II missiles and other related equipment in 2020, totaling US$2.37 billion. They will all be delivered by 2026 and fully integrated into the military by 2030, the MND said.
The ministry plans to establish a Coastal Operations Command, incorporating the Haifeng Brigade, Fast Attack Boat Combat Group, and Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command. The command will assume defense responsibilities up to 44 km from Taiwan's shores to deter Chinese forces with anti-ship missiles. The facility will also handle missiles, torpedoes, artillery, electro-optical, reconnaissance and surveillance equipment, and sonar systems.
The Harpoon missiles provide “a highly reliable and effective system to counter or deter maritime aggressions, coastal blockades, and amphibious assaults,” according to the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency. In 2022, Taiwan requested an additional 60 missiles.
