DEFENSE/MND earmarks NT$4.9 billion to bolster backbone network

Taipei, Sept. 5 (CNA) The Ministry of National Defense (MND) has earmarked about NT$4.9 billion (US$152.9 million) to acquire backbone subnetworks for faster and more stable battlefield data transmission.

The budget request, pending legislative review, will fund 213 backbone subnetworks, 179 microwave transmission subsystems, power generators and fiber channels to facilitate data transmission to command centers and weapons launch platforms across different services of the armed forces, according to the spending plan delivered to the Legislature by the MND on Aug. 30.

The planned systems, the MND said, are expected to boost the survivability of critical military command and control systems during wartime by establishing a round-island fiber optic communication system and a high-capacity data transmission network.

They are also expected to ensure uninterrupted data transmissions between command and control centers, harbors, airports, and joint intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance systems, the MND said.

For Fiscal Year 2025, about NT$59 million has been earmarked for the design and planning of the systems and on-site evaluations.

The project will take place from 2025 to 2030, according to the plan.