Presidential Office orders reshuffle of top military brass

The Presidential Office formally finalized the first wave of a high-level military reshuffle yesterday morning.

The post of chief of the general staff will be taken by the current navy chief, Admiral Li Chieh (李傑).

The post of army chief will be assumed by current Vice-Chief of the General Staff General Ho Shou-yeh (霍守業).

Ho's vacated position will be filled by Lieutenant-General Chu Kai-sheng (朱凱生). The post of commander-in-chief of the air force will be taken by the current deputy air force chief, Li Tien-yu (李天羽).

The post of navy commander-in-chief will be assumed by incumbent Deputy Chief of the General Staff Miao Yung-ching (苗永慶). Miao's vacant position will be filled by deputy navy chief Fei Hung-po (費鴻波). Fei will also be promoted to admiral.

President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) also announced that the incumbent director of the National Defense University (NDU), General Hsia Yin-chou (夏瀛洲), and Deputy Chief of the General Staff General Wang Han-ning (王漢寧) would both be transferred to become military advisors to the president.

Current army chief General Chen Cheng-hsiang (陳鎮湘) will replace Hsia as director of the NDU. In addition to this reshuffle, three deputy chiefs of the general staff were promoted to the rank of general.

Apart from army Lieutenant-General Chu Kai-sheng (朱凱生) and navy Vice-Admiral Fei Hung-po (費鴻波) being promoted to general and admiral, respectively, Air Force Deputy Commander in Chief Lieutenant General Liu Kuei-li (劉貴立) was elevated to the post of vice chief of the general staff.