Taiwan Wants To Be a Drone Arsenal for Democracies — Can It?
Taiwan’s ambition to become a drone powerhouse is facing a major test after lawmakers approved only part of a proposed US$40 billion special defense budget. Drones have become one of the defining technologies of modern warfare, proving their value in conflicts from Ukraine to the Middle East while creating a rapidly growing global industry. Taiwan hopes to build a domestic drone ecosystem, strengthen non-Chinese (i.e. “non-red”) supply chains and position itself as a key supplier to democratic partners. But can it do so without the funding originally requested? In this episode, we examine the state of Taiwan’s drone industry, the lessons from recent wars and what the defense budget means for Taiwan’s goal of becoming an “arsenal of democracy” for drones. *Recorded on May 14, 2026 at 2pm Taiwan Standard Time Host: Wen-Ti Sung Producer: Julian Oeuillet Our guests: Shen Ming-shih - Institute for National Defense and Security Research (INDSR) Research Fellow Alice Yang - Institute for National Defense and Security Research (INDSR) Assistant Research Fellow Courtney Donovan Smith - Political analyst specializing in Taiwanese politics and geopolitics
