When President Lai Ching-te went to the Xuemian Army Unmanned Systems Training Command in Tainan this morning (11th), he stated that the development of unmanned vehicles is very important to strengthen Taiwan's defense resilience and enhance asymmetric combat capabilities. The government will continue to invest in research and development, training and combat force building; he also emphasized that the latest experience in international battlefields should be absorbed, and through repeated training and adjustment, unmanned system tactics that meet Taiwan's defense needs should be developed.

After the president arrived, he first listened to the mission briefing and the introduction of the main equipment of the drone, continued the visual guidance drone training, and awarded group bonuses.

It's my pleasure to come to the Unmanned Systems Training Command today. From the mission briefing, equipment display, to actual shooting and drills, I can see the results of your training during this period. I would like to thank all the brothers and sisters who participated in the establishment, teaching, testing and training. Thank you for your hard work!

In recent years, from the Russia-Ukraine war to regional conflicts in the Middle East, we have seen that technology is rapidly changing the battlefield. Drones can help troops grasp battlefield information more quickly, and can also perform reconnaissance, surveillance and precision strikes. More importantly, when unmanned systems are combined with command and control, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, firepower, and various military services, they are also changing the way troops fight.

Therefore, the development of unmanned vehicles is very important for Taiwan to strengthen its defense resilience and enhance its asymmetric combat capabilities. The government’s determination to promote the development of unmanned vehicles is clear, and it will continue to invest in research and development, training and combat capability building.

I have always believed that although drones are called "unmanned", the key to determining combat effectiveness is "people".

Even if you have good equipment, you still need someone who knows how to use it; no matter how skilled you are in operating it, you need to know how to coordinate with other troops to maximize effectiveness on the battlefield. Even the techniques learned and tactics established today may soon need to be adjusted in the face of new countermeasures.

Therefore, the "UAV Training Center" has been further upgraded to the "Unmanned Systems Training Command", and this is the significance. In addition to cultivating operational talents, it is also necessary to transform battlefield experience, unit needs and new technologies into tactics and capabilities that the national army can actually use.

An earlier briefing mentioned that the next stage is to move from "establishing training capacity" to "verifying combat capabilities." I think this is the next very important task for the command.

We can’t just count how many operators we have trained and how many sorties we have flown; more importantly, after returning to the army, whether the officers and soldiers can complete tasks in complex electromagnetic environments and combat situations, and whether they can effectively coordinate with other military branches and other combat systems.

In the same way, if new equipment is to truly form combat capabilities, it must start from combat needs, coordinate equipment construction, training, principles and testing, identify problems in actual operations, and make continuous corrections.

This is also the direction in which the Department of Defense promotes emerging technologies. Through small batch testing and actual use by troops, it is confirmed that it meets the needs, and then gradually expands the application and continues to improve based on actual experience.

Taiwan has its own terrain, environment and defense needs. Therefore, we must absorb the latest experience from the international battlefield and, through repeated training and adjustments, transform it into unmanned system tactics that meet Taiwan's defense needs.

Everyone here today is the key to whether this combat capability can be truly established. The experience you accumulate in every operation, test and exercise is an important foundation for the national army to develop unmanned system combat capabilities.

The country will provide everyone’s backing. We also ask everyone to continue to improve their profession and make every training more solid, so that new equipment and technology can exert their due combat effectiveness in the army.

Finally, thank you again for your hard work. Let's continue to work hard together. Thank you all!

Including National Security Council Secretary-General Wu Zhaoxie, Defense Minister Gu Lixiong, National Security Council Advisory Member Liu Dejin, Legislator Lai Huiyuan, Army Commander Lu Kunxiu, etc. also attended the trip.