The military has sent 103 cadets to study in foreign military academies over the past 12 years, especially to US institutions, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday.
"Since 1989, we have sent a total of 103 cadets to study in foreign military academies such as West Point, Virginia [Military Institute] and the Citadel in the US or the army academy in Honduras and El Salvador," said ministry spokesman Major General Huang Shui-sheng (
"All of these cadets perform well either during their studies abroad or after they graduate. They can contribute a lot to the improvement of the quality of personnel in the military," Huang said.
Huang made the remarks yesterday at a regular ministry press conference. Also speaking at the press conference was Colonel Chiu Chao-li (邱肇理), deputy director of the personnel recruitment center of the ministry.
"We highly value these cadets who are able to study abroad. They are all among the best of their peers in Taiwan. They excel not only in English but also in other courses as well," Chiu said.
"These cadets will have greater room for development after they graduate from the foreign military academies. We need them to work as staff officers handling affairs such as Taiwan's purchase of arms from foreign countries [particularly from the US]," Chiu said.
Chiu also made public statistics on Taiwan's cadets studying in foreign military academies between 1991 and 2000.
A total of 89 cadets have been sent to study in foreign military academies during the ten-year period, Chiu said, 26 of whom are still studying.
Among the 89 cadets, three are women and all of them have yet to finish their studies abroad.
The majority of the cadets choose to study at the Virginia Military Institute, while there is currently one student at the US Military Academy at West Point.
The second most popular foreign military academy is the Citadel in South Carolina, with a total of 22 Taiwan cadets who have either graduated from the school or are currently enrolled there.
Second Lieutenant Lin Chih-wei (
"Studying at the Virginia Military Institute is not significantly different from studying at a civilian university. We don't learn a lot of military knowledge during our four years there," Lin said.
"I have been commissioned as an air force officer. But I feel I have yet to learn a lot about the military knowledge I failed to get in touch with much during the college study.
"Had I chosen to study at Taiwan's air force academy, however, I would have learned much more military knowledge. That's the advantage of studying in Taiwan's military academy," Lin said.
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
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
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
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