Chen approves military reshuffle

President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) has approved a major reshuffle of military personnel, the Presidential Office announced late yesterday.

According to a press release from the Presidential Office, Strategy Adviser to the President Hou Shou-yeh (霍守業) will swap jobs with Chief of the General Staff General Lee Tien-yu (李天羽).

Director of the Ministry of National Defense's Political Warfare Department, General Wu Ta-peng (吳達澎), will become vice chief of the General Staff.

He will replace Chao Shih-chang (趙世璋), who has been named Army Commander-in-Chief.

The current army commander, Hu Chen-pu (胡鎮埔), will be trans-ferred to serve as a strategy adviser to the president.

General Hu will also serve as the director of the Vocational Assistance Commission for Retired Servicemen, according to a separate announcement by Cabinet Spokesman Cheng Wen-tsang (鄭文燦) last night.

Marine General Chi Lin-liang (季麟連), who has served as head of the Combined Logistics Command, has been tapped to become one of the three strategy advisers to the president.

Air Force General Chin Nai-chieh (金乃傑) will replace Chi as head of the logistics command.

All the appointments took effect yesterday.