Taiwan’s military plans new drone units in preparation for potential China invasion

The steps fit into a shift from a focus on traditional forces to building up its capabilities intended to make China think twice before attacking. Taiwan’s marines have already transformed some tank and artillery battalions into drone squads, according to Koo.

“It would be best if China wakes up every day feeling like ‘today’s just not the day to invade,’ " he said.

Taiwan is racing to overhaul its military in preparation for what it sees as a potential invasion by China as soon as 2027. China has intensified its military exercises around the island, including by staging simulated blockades that Koo and other Taiwanese officials say could turn without notice into an actual attack—an event that would trigger a global crisis.

Taiwan’s leadership this week marked the first year in office of President Lai Ching-te, who delivered an anniversary speech on Tuesday that was most notable for its softer tone toward Beijing.

“Taiwan is a peace-loving country," he said. “We are willing to replace containment with engagement and confrontation with dialogue."

The address was restrained compared with a speech in March when he called China a foreign adversary and warned against Chinese infiltration.

Beijing has consistently expressed distaste for Lai, who it sees as a staunch supporter of Taiwan independence, and its response to his speech this week was no different.

“This two-faced approach is nothing new, a waste of effort, and doomed to fail," a spokesman for Beijing’s Taiwan Affairs Office said.

Koo, a former human-rights lawyer, has been at the forefront of a project to transform and strengthen Taiwan’s military to prepare for a conflict many see as inevitable, as China continues to press its claim that self-ruled Taiwan is Beijing’s territory.

He added that support from Japan and the Philippines—which make up part of what is known as the “first island chain"—is crucial to deterring China, along with assistance from the U.S.

“Such collective deterrence will force China to consider the military difficulty and the high military cost when invading Taiwan," the defense minister said.

The army is also adding two more company-sized units to operate U.S.-made Himars rocket systems as they are delivered, aiming to enhance precision-strike capabilities, he said.

Taiwan’s effort to incorporate drones into its defensive posture, a move inspired by Ukraine’s fight against the Russian invasion, has been complicated by China’s dominant role in the production of small drones and the parts needed to assemble them. Taiwan’s government has sought to promote the development of a domestic drone industry to eliminate any reliance on supply from China.

Wellington Koo has been at the forefront of a project to transform and strengthen Taiwan’s military.

Taiwan’s military plans to buy more than 3,200 drones from domestic companies, mostly small reconnaissance drones, in a five-year period. The island produced roughly 10,000 drones last year, with production expected to grow, according to the Taiwanese government-funded Research Institute for Democracy, Society and Emerging Technology in Taipei.

Meanwhile, Taiwan is getting help from the U.S. government to bolster its market size and capability.

“The U.S. has indeed provided strong support in this area because it wants us to have local production capabilities," Koo said. “This could refer to certain technologies…being transferred to us, allowing local private companies to handle production" that doesn’t use Chinese components, he added.

Potential areas of U.S.-Taiwan collaboration on drones include AI, supply-chain integration and investment, Raymond Greene, the de facto U.S. ambassador to Taipei, said in a recent interview with Taiwan’s state-owned Central News Agency.

“The United States and Taiwan are aligned on the importance of Taiwan ensuring its secure supply of similar asymmetric systems," Greene said in March. “We are working together to accelerate that process, including through expanding Taiwan’s ability to produce critical munitions and drones domestically."

Building a drone-equipped army also depends on having the personnel to operate them. Taiwan’s military has begun using drones in training and operations, often for reconnaissance. The army opened an academy last year to teach soldiers how to operate them.

“The idea is to use technology instead of manpower and rely on firepower rather than traditional forces," Koo said, offering new details about the drone plans.

The decision to establish specialized drone units and introduce sea drones to the navy’s amphibious forces is the newest development in Taiwan’s shift to asymmetric capability.

“When it comes to firepower, we just can’t compete with China in terms of quantity. So we have to figure out how to strike in the most effective way possible," said Cathy Fang, a security and defense industry analyst at DSET, the Taiwanese think tank. “It’s a clear indicator of how asymmetric warfare works."

Write to Joyu Wang at joyu.wang@wsj.com