National Defense Minister Redefines 'First Strike' 邱國正:航空器進領空即第一擊 後續就開戰

The Taiwan Strait situation remains tense. National Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng has redefined "first strike" to include incursions by Chinese aircraft into Taiwan's territorial airspace.

The cross-Strait situation remains tense. Chinese military aircraft and warships continue to buzz around Taiwan. National Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng recently redefined the meaning of "first strike" to include not only the firing of missiles, but also the incursion of fighters and drones into Taiwan's territorial airspace.

Chiu Kuo-cheng, National Defense Minister: “We will respond in self-defense if your drone enters. (Once a first strike occurs and we strike back, then a war will begin.) Yes. The situation is grave.”

The Ministry of National Defense gave a report on the Navy's next-generation frigate buildup project to the legislature on Oct. 12. It said this is a response to gray zone tactics. Under the plan, Chi Yang-class frigates, which have been in service for 50 years, will be decommissioned. The Navy will scrap its plan to build a 4,500-ton next-generation missile frigate and instead construct two 2,000-ton light frigates at a cost of NT$24.5 billion. Legislators questioned if the real reason for the change was because requirements have changed.

Lo Chih-cheng, Legislator (DPP): “Is it because you can no longer push for a missile frigate? So your precondition for setting this budget is changing one thing called the next-generation light frigate that just so happens to conform to our current combat requirements. Am I understanding this correctly?”
Lee Shih-chiang, MND Dept. of Strategic Planning Director: “There are risks with the implementation. Yes.”

The Navy said the plan for the 4,500-ton missile frigate is stuck but the next-generation light frigate plan can utilize the mature technology from that plan. It believes it can smoothly implement the new plan and the frigates' higher-range supersonic anti-ship missiles would be able to deter China. Their anti-surface warfare capabilities are also stronger than that of the frigate in the original plan.

兩岸局勢緊張，共機共艦不斷侵擾台海周邊。國防部長邱國正日前指出，第一擊概念並非僅止於對方發射飛彈，如果戰機進入領空等樣態，也屬第一擊的範疇之中，加上現在中共無人機有事沒事就越界，因此將航空器越界視為第一擊，重新界定。

國防部長邱國正表示：「只要你航空器一個實體從海上來也一樣實體的話，我們就一個自衛反擊。（第一擊一來，我們一反擊之後就開戰了？）對，所以就事態嚴重。」

中共威脅加速，國防部12日到立法院進行「海軍新一代輕型巡防艦建案規劃」。國防部指出為了因應灰色地帶衝突，並汰換50年之濟陽級艦，海軍放棄本來規畫要建造4500噸級的小神盾艦「新一代飛彈巡防艦」，改投入245億餘元建造2艘排水量2000噸的輕型巡防艦。立委質疑，背後因素是否真的是因為需求改變。

民進黨立委羅致政問飛彈巡防艦推得下去推不下去，國防部戰規司長李世強表示，飛彈巡防艦目前執行上會有風險。羅致政又詢問：「所以你們在框了預算前提之下，我換一個東西，叫做新一代輕型巡防艦，然後又剛好符合我們現在可能的作戰需求，這樣我理解沒錯吧？」對此，李世強回應「是」。

海軍坦承4500噸級鎮海計畫巡防艦確實卡住，不過輕型巡防艦運用鎮海案成熟的技術，海軍評估有把握順利執行，而其配備有增程型超音速反艦飛彈，能威懾中共航艦，反水面戰力強過原案。