Taiwan Forms Fourth Unmanned Systems Battalion 150 km From PRC

Taiwan plans to establish an unmanned systems battalion on the Penghu Archipelago in the Taiwan Strait in the near future.

The new unit will be stationed approximately 45 km from the main island of Taiwan and 150 km from the coast of the People’s Republic of China, according to Radio Taiwan International, citing CNA.

The future unit will be formed based on an existing squadron and will report directly to the Penghu Defense Command. According to preliminary plans by the defense ministry, this battalion is scheduled to officially begin operations as early as July.

Earlier, TDF Chief of Staff Chen Junyi announced plans to form such battalions in each of Taiwan’s five operational areas, including the outlying islands.

As part of this large-scale program, military leadership already formed the first three such units in April.

It should be noted that Chinese law enforcement vessels entered Taiwan’s territorial waters near Taiping Island in the South China Sea for the first time.

The incident occurred amid Beijing’s accusations against Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party of inaction during negotiations between Japan and the Philippines regarding the demarcation of maritime borders.