President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) presided over an awards ceremony for military personnel on Thursday ahead of Armed Forces Day which is on September 3. Tsai was present for the granting of 196 awards across 7 categories.
In a speech, Tsai specifically called out a few of the awardees such as Taiwan’s first female infantry battalion commander Lt. Col. Yu Ya-ting (游雅婷). Tsai states that next year's military budget will be the largest in Taiwan’s history, reaching over NT$600 billion (US$19 billion). She also says that the budget includes funds for improvements to military barracks and facilities, which will enhance the living conditions of more than 60,000 troops.
Also on Thursday, the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) legislative caucus released a statement pointing out that although the defense budget is higher than ever, funds dedicated to operations and maintenance have been reduced. The caucus adds that funds for training should not be neglected and that the government must also put forward non-military responses to harassment from the Chinese military.