The Ministry of National Defense’s next phase of military reduction is set to begin in July next year with plans to limit military command of outlying islands as well as cutting down the Republic of China Navy and Air Force, according to the ministry’s most recent report sent to the Legislative Yuan.
The downsizing project, named Yong Ku (勇固), would pick up where the Ching Tsui (精粹) program left off, to focus on trimming military command and control, with an eye to downsizing the armed forces to between 170,000 and 190,000 men, Minister of National Defense Yen Ming (嚴明) said last week.
The military currently has 215,000 personnel, across all of the armed forces, the ministry said.
Photo: Yu Tai-lang, Taipei Times
Cutting the number of commanding officers on different levels would expedite decisionmaking, the ministry’s report to the Legislative Yuan said, adding that the program would be reviewing high-tier officers in the General Staff Headquarters and the headquarters of all the armed forces.
The total number of command units, currently 11, would be decreased in adherence with the new staffing structure, the report said, adding that the authority and allocation of forces would also be reviewed.
Over the next five years, the Kinmen, Matzu, Penghu and the Huadong area commands would be led by major generals, rather than lieutenant generals, it added.
The project would also affect the navy’s and the air force’s base guards, by incorporating those personnel into the general security and defense plans, the report said.
The report said that confirmed equipment retirements include F-5 jets and the MIM-23 Hawk missiles, adding that the air force was deliberating its fleet size and that the government expected to mothball several other jets.
The navy would review its fleet structure and retire old and outdated ships, it said, adding however, that other units would be increasing personnel.
Meanwhile, information technology and cyberwarfare units are to be expanded and the army would upgrade and broaden its autonomous aircraft systems, in hopes of developing combat-capable autonomous aerial vehicles, the report said.
The Thunderbolt-2000 multiple-launch rocket system would be upgraded in hopes of achieving long-range strike area capability, making the systems equivalent to tactical missiles, it added.
The navy would also be expanding its coast-based mobile antimissile units to improve its asymmetrical warfare capability to maintain control of the sea in the region, the report said.
Preparation for implementing Yong Gu would start in January and last until June next year, Yen said, adding that official implementation is set to begin in July and end in December 2019.
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique