Taiwan's vice president Hsiao Bi-khim is pushing lawmakers to let the Defense Ministry run the country's military drone program, warning that more delay leaves Taiwan behind and shakes allied confidence.

• Parliament is stuck on 14 competing drafts of a drone law, and none has enough support to pass.
• Hsiao argues the Defense Ministry knows which drone types and specs the military needs, so it should control the money — asking whether the U.S. Commerce Department would ever run drone buying for the Pentagon.
• She rejects a proposed hard yearly spending cap, saying costs start small and jump sharply once deliveries ramp up.
• Repeated budget cuts or delays would erode trust from foreign partners and raise doubts about Taiwan's will to defend itself.
• A multi-year defense-led budget is meant to give Taiwan's drone industry the big, long-term orders it needs to grow.

Outlook: The bill's fate now rests with a divided legislature, and further stalling would push Taiwan's drone buildup further behind fast-moving rivals.