When Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) was inaugurated as the new president and commander-in-chief of the armed forces nearly two months ago, there was a sense of instability in the military, especially among a number of die-hard anti-independence military leaders.
Now the tide seems to have changed in favor of Chen, who is gaining support from military leaders, including those who were initially strongly opposed to him.
Su Chin-chiang (蘇進強), a military analyst at Nanhua University, who has close contacts with military policy makers, said support for Chen among high-ranking military officials had risen in recent weeks, but that it had not spread to all levels of the military yet.
"Overall acceptance of Chen in the armed forces is not expected to happen for some time. But for the moment, top military leaders are responding more positively to Chen," Su said.
A defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the rising support for Chen among the top brass could be put down to Chen taking the initiative with military leaders and demonstrating his concern for defense matters.
Chen started visiting military facilities on June 28 and participated in military activities, such as the just-concluded commissioning ceremony for the second combat wing of domestically-built IDFs in Tainan.
"An interaction of some sort has been achieved between Chen and military leaders at different levels through these activities. Chen did not meet opposition of any kind from any of the leaders he met during these visits. We can say a formal stability is in place in the armed forces," the defense official said.
"Some generals, who were initially reluctant to pledge loyalty to Chen because of his former pro-independence stance, have now changed their view of Chen. They may still maintain a distance in their contacts with Chen, but they no longer reject the idea of working for Chen," he said.
These generals include Army Commander-in-Chief General Chen Chen-hsiang (
"National security is no doubt President Chen's top priority concern for the moment. And defense affairs are of special interest to him. What he wants to achieve in the short term is to maintain the stability in the armed forces," military analyst Su said.
"Goals for Chen in the longer term are to put into practice the landmark defense law and the organizational law for the Ministry of National Defense, which were passed early this year. Chen does not seem to be interested in taking a dominant role in the matter," Su said.
"Chen would rather leave it to a third party, preferably an inter-departmental team, so as to avoid a clash of opinions and interests in the military administrative system as represented by the defense ministry and the military command system -- as represented by the chief of the general staff and his office -- which are to be integrated," he said.
FIREPOWER: On top of the torpedoes, the military would procure Kestrel II anti-tank weapons systems to replace aging license-produced M72 LAW launchers Taiwan is to receive US-made Mark 48 torpedoes and training simulators over the next three years, following delays that hampered the navy’s operational readiness, the Ministry of National Defense’s latest budget proposal showed. The navy next year would acquire four training simulator systems for the torpedoes and take receipt of 14 torpedoes in 2027 and 10 torpedoes in 2028, the ministry said in its budget for the next fiscal year. The torpedoes would almost certainly be utilized in the navy’s two upgraded Chien Lung-class submarines and the indigenously developed Hai Kun, should the attack sub successfully reach operational status. US President Donald Trump
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) is expected to start construction of its 1.4-nanometer chip manufacturing facilities at the Central Taiwan Science Park (CTSP, 中部科學園區) as early as October, the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) reported yesterday, citing the park administration. TSMC acquired land for the second phase of the park’s expansion in Taichung in June. Large cement, construction and facility engineering companies in central Taiwan have reportedly been receiving bids for TSMC-related projects, the report said. Supply-chain firms estimated that the business opportunities for engineering, equipment and materials supply, and back-end packaging and testing could reach as high as
ALL QUIET: The Philippine foreign secretary told senators she would not respond to questions about whether Lin Chia-lung was in the country The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday confirmed that a business delegation is visiting the Philippines, but declined to say whether Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) is part of the group, as Philippine lawmakers raised questions over Lin’s reported visit. The group is being led by Deputy Minister of Agriculture Huang Chao-chin (黃昭欽), Chinese International Economic Cooperation Association (CIECA) chairman Joseph Lyu (呂桔誠) and US-Taiwan Business Council (USTBC) vice president Lotta Danielsson, the ministry said in a statement. However, sources speaking on condition of anonymity said that Lin is leading the delegation of 70 people. Filinvest New Clark City Innovation Park
TPP RALLY: The clashes occurred near the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall on Saturday at a rally to mark the anniversary of a raid on former TPP chairman Ko Wen-je People who clashed with police at a Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) rally in Taipei on Saturday would be referred to prosecutors for investigation, said the Ministry of the Interior, which oversees the National Police Agency. Taipei police had collected evidence of obstruction of public officials and coercion by “disorderly” demonstrators, as well as contraventions of the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法), the ministry said in a statement on Sunday. It added that amid the “severe pushing and jostling” by some demonstrators, eight police officers were injured, including one who was sent to hospital after losing consciousness, allegedly due to heat stroke. The Taipei