Military plans new warfare unit

The military plans to establish its first information warfare (IW) force by year's end at the earliest to counter the new threat from China's "net force," which has been in operation for several years, defense authorities said yesterday.

The would-be IW force, which is to be composed of almost one battalion of specialized troops, is scheduled to be independent of any service and is to be directly controlled by the office of the chief of the general staff.

Its establishment will mark a big step on the part of the military toward countering new threats from China in the form of IW attacks. Minister of National Defense Wu Shih-wen (伍世文) revealed the IW force plan to legislators yesterday during the recess of a defense budget screening session held by the legislature's Defense Committee.

Wu told legislators that the force will be inaugurated by year's end although the plan has yet to be approved by President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁).

Lieutenant General Abe Lin (林勤經), director of the Communication Electronics and Information Bureau (CEIB) under the Ministry of National Defense (MND), however, told the Taipei Times that the inauguration may not happen so soon. Lin is responsible for the drafting and execution of the plan.

"We have yet to submit the work plan to President Chen for approval via Chief of the General Staff (CGS) General Tang Yao-ming (湯曜明). We are not so sure whether Chen will give his endorsement," Lin said.

Lin declined to reveal much about the IW force, saying its structure has not yet been finalized.

Answering inquiries from legislators over the issue, Lin said: "IW is to become a key factor in the balance of power in the Taiwan Strait in the future. CGS General Tang wants the future arms build-up to focus on [this force]."

"Our defense spending for the next year is to prioritize the development of IW and electronic warfare capabilities. Investments in the two areas, as well as relevant C4ISR [command, control, communication, computer, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance] fields are to account for 23 percent, or [about] one fourth, of the total budget."

Another priority, Lin said, was to enhance military leaders' knowledge about IW. Starting this year, military leaders under or at the rank of lieutenant general/vice admiral will be obliged to take IW tests. Officers who fail the tests will not be eligible for promotion next year, Lin said.

Speaking on the subject, Lieutenant General Hu Cheng-fu (胡鎮甫), deputy chief of the general staff for operations, said: "In the future, military academies will seek to have every cadet become knowledgeable in computer science and Internet applications."

"We will also try to extend our efforts in the development of IW capabilities to the training of reserve troops. We will provide them with training in new weapons and equipment, starting from next year," Hu said.