Supplies to the Taiwan Strait frontline cannot be cut off! The Army spends 2.238 billion to renovate docks and port facilities on Kinmen Islands

The picture shows the National Army's Bold Island Pier. (File photo, taken by reporter Wu Zhengting)

[Reporter Tu Jumin/Reporting from Taipei] Kinmen is at the forefront of Taiwan Strait defense. In addition to the main island of Kinmen and Lieyu, there are also small outlying islands such as Dingdao, Erdan, and Dongding in the surrounding area. Maritime supply capabilities are crucial to the combat readiness of the garrison. According to next year's budget of the Ministry of National Defense, the Army plans to invest more than 2.238 billion yuan to promote the "Kinmen Outlying Islands Terminal and Port Facilities Renovation Project." It is expected to start next year (2027) and be completed in 2033 to improve the outlying island port facilities and transportation and supply conditions, and enhance the troops' continuous combat capabilities.

According to the Ministry of National Defense's budget for next year, the "Kinmen Outlying Islands Terminal and Port Facilities Renovation Project" is included in the "General Facilities Renovation Project" of the Army Command. The project period is from next year to 2033, and NT$48.375 million will be allocated for the first time next year. The budget document states that the project is mainly to improve the existing port facilities on Kinmen Islands to meet the needs of the military’s combat missions, improve transportation and supply efficiency, and improve personnel safety. As for the actual construction projects, terminal specifications and tonnage of berthing ships on each outlying island, they have not yet been fully disclosed.

Based on public information, Kinmen’s current main ports include Liaoluo, Shuitou and Jiugong Port. Among them, Liaoluo Port has both freight and military transportation functions. Some commercial port seats can accommodate ships with a gross tonnage of less than 5,000, but the shallow water wharf in the port area is mainly used by small ships with a weight of less than 200 tons. Shuitou Port is mainly used for small three-way passenger transportation, while Jiugong Port is located on Lieyu and provides freight and other maritime transportation services.

However, the port conditions of the islands outside Kinmen are different from those of the main island. Taking Bold Island as an example, the Kinmen County Government has pointed out in the past that the existing military wharf is affected by the tide and is unfavorable for ship berthing at certain times, and has studied wharf improvement projects. For small outlying islands that must rely on ships to transport personnel, food, equipment and other supplies, whether the wharf has stable berthing and loading and unloading capabilities is directly related to the efficiency of daily supply.

In recent years, the national army has adjusted its force allocation on the outer islands. The Sea Dragon Frog Soldiers, which originally focused on Jin and Ma, have moved their battalions and main forces to Penghu, while Jin and Ma still retain some troops. However, the basic combat strength of the Jin Defense Department stationed on the front line has not changed. It continues to maintain defense capabilities such as armor, artillery and anti-armor, and gradually incorporates drone reconnaissance and distributed command capabilities. Port transportation, material pre-positioning and logistics facilities are also crucial to whether the troops can continue to perform their missions.