Wellington Koo

Wellington Koo

Taiwan TaiwanpoliticianMaleb. 19707.2Global Dominance: 0.01%

Wellington Koo is the Minister of National Defense in Taiwan, notable for being only the third civilian to hold this position in the nation's history. He has been pivotal in reforming Taiwan's military command and control structures, advocating for an asymmetric defense strategy, and enhancing training for both conscripts and professional soldiers. Under his leadership, Taiwan's defense budget has significantly increased, reflecting a commitment to modernizing the military amidst rising tensions in the region.

Power13,624
Reach474,944

Country presence

Recent news mentions

Accompanied by Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo, Lai was briefed by the commander of a Taoyuan drill group.

Lai inspects troops during live-fire drills amid rain
Taipei Times – major English newspaper in Taiwan, est. 1999·TaiwanTaiwan· 2026-08-09
7.0
Also mentioned
William Lai
William Lai
Joseph Wu
Joseph Wu

Wellington Koo is the Minister of Defense of Taiwan who was present during the military exercises.

Taiwán moviliza barcos y misiles antibuque para recrear el rechazo a un desembarco chino - Mundo
ABC Color – leading Paraguayan newspaper, est. 1967·ParaguayParaguay· 2026-08-08
9.0
Also mentioned
Lai Ching Te
Lai Ching Te

Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo speaks at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee.

Ministry to launch integrated anti-drone technology
Taipei Times – major English newspaper in Taiwan, est. 1999·TaiwanTaiwan· 2026-08-05
6.0

Taiwan's Defense Minister Wellington Koo mentioned that cooperation with the USA is much closer than one might think.

Zehn Tage Verteidigungsmanöver gegen China
Neue Zürcher Zeitung·SwitzerlandSwitzerland· 2026-08-05
6.0

Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo said Taiwan’s cooperation with the US may be closer than many imagine.

Close ties with US Pacific Command boost Taiwan’s defense readiness: Koo
Taipei Times – major English newspaper in Taiwan, est. 1999·TaiwanTaiwan· 2026-08-03
8.0
Also mentioned
Xi Jinping
Xi Jinping

Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo urged lawmakers to pass the Cabinet’s special budget for drones.

Surface drones to be in general budget as drone plan remains stalled: Koo
Taipei Times – major English newspaper in Taiwan, est. 1999·TaiwanTaiwan· 2026-08-03
7.0

Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo said Taiwan's cooperation with the US may be closer than many imagine.

Close ties with US Pacific Command boost readiness: Koo
Taipei Times – major English newspaper in Taiwan, est. 1999·TaiwanTaiwan· 2026-08-03
8.0
Also mentioned
Xi Jinping
Xi Jinping

Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo unveiled the pilot program at a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee.

Military to begin two-phase program outsourcing security
Taipei Times – major English newspaper in Taiwan, est. 1999·TaiwanTaiwan· 2026-08-01
7.0

Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo met with the US congressional delegation to discuss Taiwan-US cooperation and security issues.

US lawmaker urges drone bill passage
Taipei Times – major English newspaper in Taiwan, est. 1999·TaiwanTaiwan· 2026-07-31
7.0

Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo listened to a briefing in front of a model of the Dan Chiang corvette.

New warship Dan Chiang commissioned
Taipei Times – major English newspaper in Taiwan, est. 1999·TaiwanTaiwan· 2026-07-24
7.0
Also mentioned
William Lai
William Lai

Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo said yesterday that mobile Internet would be temporarily suspended to simulate network disruptions during the Urban Resilience Exercises next month.

Drills to include telecom disruptions
Taipei Times – major English newspaper in Taiwan, est. 1999·TaiwanTaiwan· 2026-07-20
7.0

Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo said today that mobile Internet would be suspended during resilience exercises.

Mobile Internet to be suspended during resilience exercise: MND
Taipei Times – major English newspaper in Taiwan, est. 1999·TaiwanTaiwan· 2026-07-20
7.0

Defense Minister Wellington Koo said the analysis of the flight data recorder is still ongoing.

Lai honors pilot lost in January crash
Taipei Times – major English newspaper in Taiwan, est. 1999·TaiwanTaiwan· 2026-07-19
5.0

Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo announced the pilot program at a Legislative Yuan Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee hearing.

Military conducts helicopter defense drill
Taipei Times – major English newspaper in Taiwan, est. 1999·TaiwanTaiwan· 2026-07-17
7.0
Also mentioned
Sam Garcia
Sam Garcia

Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo speaks at a committee meeting in the legislature in Taipei yesterday.

China aims to derail Taiwan’s drone efforts, source says
Taipei Times – major English newspaper in Taiwan, est. 1999·TaiwanTaiwan· 2026-07-16
7.0

Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo speaks at a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee in Taipei yesterday.

Military plans to raise some benefits
Taipei Times – major English newspaper in Taiwan, est. 1999·TaiwanTaiwan· 2026-07-08
7.0
Also mentioned
Lan Chin Ting
Lan Chin Ting

Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo told lawmakers in a hearing about the procurement of Stinger MANPADS.

Army to hold missile firing drills next week: source
Taipei Times – major English newspaper in Taiwan, est. 1999·TaiwanTaiwan· 2026-07-03
7.0

Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo addressed the budget concerns at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee.

KMT-TPP drone bills an overstep: Lai
Taipei Times – major English newspaper in Taiwan, est. 1999·TaiwanTaiwan· 2026-07-01
6.0

Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo stated that personnel undergo anti-espionage training before being stationed overseas.

Government to step up protections as China’s unity law takes effect: Cho
Taipei Times – major English newspaper in Taiwan, est. 1999·TaiwanTaiwan· 2026-07-01
6.0

Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo said Taiwan should closely monitor ongoing US-led multinational military exercises.

Taiwan ‘not alone’ in military operations: official
Taipei Times – major English newspaper in Taiwan, est. 1999·TaiwanTaiwan· 2026-06-24
7.0

Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo said at the legislature in Taipei yesterday that the ministry is considering an overhaul of its reservist training regimen.

Ministry mulls army reserve overhaul
Taipei Times – major English newspaper in Taiwan, est. 1999·TaiwanTaiwan· 2026-06-24
7.0

Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo said today that the government is considering expanding and formalizing reservist training for women.

Defense ministry considering changes to reserve training for women
Taipei Times – major English newspaper in Taiwan, est. 1999·TaiwanTaiwan· 2026-06-24
7.0
Also mentioned
Lo Mei Ling
Lo Mei Ling

Wellington Koo is the Minister of National Defense who stated that the drills were introduced to counter the possibility of an escalation of threats by the Chinese military.

Combat readiness exercises launched - Taipei Times
Taipei Times – major English newspaper in Taiwan, est. 1999·TaiwanTaiwan· 2026-06-22
7.0

Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo stated that the drills were introduced to counter the possibility of escalating threats by the Chinese military.

Military begins five-day exercise against possible Chinese invasion
Taipei Times – major English newspaper in Taiwan, est. 1999·TaiwanTaiwan· 2026-06-22
7.0
Also mentioned
Su Tzu Yun
Su Tzu Yun

Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo told lawmakers earlier this year that the first aircraft is expected to arrive in Taiwan during the third quarter.

First F-16V for Taiwan spotted in Texas
Taipei Times – major English newspaper in Taiwan, est. 1999·TaiwanTaiwan· 2026-06-19
7.0
Also mentioned
Wang Ting Yu
Wang Ting Yu

Wellington Koo instructed the air force to assist the pilots’ families after the crash.

T-34 trainer aircraft crash kills 2 experienced air force pilots
Taipei Times – major English newspaper in Taiwan, est. 1999·TaiwanTaiwan· 2026-06-02
5.0

Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo reiterated that testing would proceed according to established procedures.

‘Hai Kun’ sea trials to include deep diving tests
Taipei Times – major English newspaper in Taiwan, est. 1999·TaiwanTaiwan· 2026-06-01
7.0

Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo reiterated that testing would proceed according to established procedures.

‘Hai Kun’ departs for 15th sea trial
Taipei Times – major English newspaper in Taiwan, est. 1999·TaiwanTaiwan· 2026-06-01
7.0
Also mentioned
Chi Tung Yun
Chi Tung Yun

Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo said Taiwan would work to uphold peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region through strength.

Lai vows to bolster defense, resilience
Taipei Times – major English newspaper in Taiwan, est. 1999·TaiwanTaiwan· 2026-05-30
7.0

Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo said planning to counter a blockade is standard practice in Taipei.

If the lights are off, Taiwan loses
Taipei Times – major English newspaper in Taiwan, est. 1999·TaiwanTaiwan· 2026-05-28
7.0