The new defense strategy is to have the four Kidds patrol off the eastern coast during peacetime and enter the Taiwan Strait from the north and south in time of war. The tactic is aimed at bottling up enemy ships in the Taiwan Strait without letting them get close to Taiwan proper, thus achieving an offshore engagement effect.
Unlike the offshore engagement policy which has been stealthily put into practice, Chen's "three assurances" policy was roundly welcomed by military personnel.
The three assurances attempt to guarantee training safety for troops, a steady life and better living standards for servicemen. The policy was introduced after Chen became president.
A defense official, who declined to be identified, said the three assurances policy meant a big improvement in servicemen's working environment and income.
"We hope that Chen will carry out his promise. We do hope for a better working environment in the military. What we wish for most is a pay raise," the official said.
"Servicemen work 24 hours a day. But our pay is, comparatively speaking, lower than our civilian counterparts, like the police. We hope the president will give us a reasonable increase in income in the future," he said.
The Ministry of National Defense is now working on plans for a pay raise for servicemen, intending to implement it in the next few years.
But these plans cannot be realized unless there is a further reduction of military personnel.
To make the pay raise plans possible, the military intends to further reduce troop numbers from the current 380,000 to around 350,000. Chen has said that the ideal number of troops for Taiwan is 300,000.
RSS