Taiwan's Military Police adds drone and air-defence companies and plans to 3D-print its own drones

Taiwan's Military Police Command, which guards the Presidential Office and other centres of government in Taipei, has formally added an air-defence company and a drone company to its garrison units this year, and plans to start 3D-printing and repairing its own drones, military officials told the Liberty Times on 10 October.

The officials described the build-up as the largest continuing expansion in the force's history. Its strength is being raised step by step from about 5,600 to 11,000 personnel, roughly double, to meet the threat of a Chinese decapitation strike, urban fighting and attacks on critical infrastructure, the paper reported.

Stinger missiles for the mortar battalion

The 228th Military Police Battalion in Taipei's Shilin district, which has long operated mortars, has set up an air-defence company armed with US-made FIM-92 Stinger shoulder-fired missiles for low-altitude defence, and is also due to be issued Javelin anti-tank missiles, according to the report.

The battalion belongs to the 202nd Military Police Command, which is responsible for the core of greater Taipei and had six battalion-level units. A further unit close to battalion size has already moved into the Xinhai barracks in Wenshan district to strengthen the south of the city, the officials said. In recent Han Kuang exercises the garrison troops used the Taipei Metro to move quickly with their Stinger launchers, and a live Stinger shot during a recent drill hit its target, the paper said.

Drones built and fixed by the troops

The new drone company is being equipped with reconnaissance drones and attack loitering munitions, so that troops can scout streets and strike enemy special forces in urban combat without exposing themselves. The Military Police training centre has made drone operation and counter-drone work core parts of its courses and is building dedicated training grounds, according to the reports.

In what officials called an experiment, the command has set aside budget to buy mobile, containerised 3D-printing equipment so that the drone company can print airframes and parts and maintain the aircraft itself. The aim is a dispersed, movable production line that can be copied quickly at scale, lowering the cost of drones and easing supply-chain limits, the Liberty Times reported. Taiwan News carried the plan on 11 October, citing the same reporting.

Defence ministry plans for new forces protecting the Bo'ai Special Zone around the Presidential Office also include vehicle-mounted counter-drone systems. The Military Police are also due to bring in Kestrel anti-armour rocket launchers and switch to T112 rifles with smart sights, the reports said.

In southern Taipei the new units form a garrison combat team that shares battlefield intelligence with the Marine Corps 66th Brigade, which helps defend Songshan airport, and with the army's Guandu Command, to hold main roads and key government buildings, according to the Liberty Times.

A gap of about 5,000 troops

Officials acknowledged that manning the expansion is hard, as staffing of volunteer posts across the armed forces remains a major challenge. How the Military Police fill a shortfall of about 5,000 personnel, and keep volunteers trained on the new weapons in uniform for the long term, will be the main task ahead, the paper reported.

Defence Minister Wellington Koo visited Han Kuang 42 exercise units in Taoyuan in August to see drone tactics and the use of 3D printing to build drones quickly in the field, the Liberty Times noted.