Taiwan's legislature passed a law meant to boost homegrown defense and drone production, but the presidential office says the final version falls short of what the military actually needs — a setback for Taiwan's rearmament push.

• Lawmakers approved a bill on strengthening defense self-reliance and the drone industry, but only some of the defense ministry's requests made it in.
• The government had asked for a special NT$1.25 trillion buying program after drones were cut from an earlier package; it wanted fast-tracked purchases of three drone models and unmanned boats.
• The presidential office says speed is the whole point: military drone designs turn over every few weeks, and Britain replaces a generation roughly every six weeks.
• The US, UK, Australia and now Japan have all set up fast-track defense buying systems, and Taipei warns Taiwan is pulling the handbrake while everyone else hits the gas.
• President Lai Ching-te's office says it will still find ways within the constitution and the law to build the combat power it wants.

Outlook: Expect the government to look for workarounds — a revised special budget or executive action — to get drones into service faster despite the legislature's version.