US urges military reform

US government officials are urging Taiwan to reform its national defense, sources in the US said.

Peter Brookes, deputy assistant secretary of defense for Asian and Pacific affairs, and Stephen Yates, assistant to US Vice President Dick Cheney, stressed the need for reform in a recent meeting with former DPP lawmaker Michael Tsai (蔡明憲) in the US.

They asked Tsai to pass the message on to President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁).

The administration of US President George W. Bush is concerned about the imminent reshuffle in Taiwan's military and whether the Ministry of National Defense will be led by a civilian, as two recently passed defense-reform laws stipulate, the sources said.

Bush-administration officials have expressed a willingness to boost Taiwan's military capabilities and enhance bilateral military exchanges. But the US also expects Taiwan to reform its military structure as soon as possible.

According to sources, Tsai, who lost his bid to become Taichung City mayor on Dec. 1, visited Washington on Dec. 18. The US believes Tsai, who has long paid close attention to national defense, might be appointed to the Cabinet to help Chen deal with military issues.

As well as visiting Brookes and Yates, who are both familiar with Taiwan's affairs, Tsai called on Michael Pillsbury, a defense expert with the Net Assessment Office, and Kurt Campbell, senior vice president at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

High-ranking US officials and defense experts regard the success or failure of Taiwan's defense reforms as key to US-Taiwan military exchanges, sources said.

The experts are apparently also concerned about factional conflicts in Taiwan's military.

Sources said Tsai kept a low profile on his trip and afterward visited former premier and defense minister Tang Fei (唐飛) for advice on defense reforms.

Peter Rodman, the assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs, also stressed the need for effective reform of the military in a recent meeting with Chen Chien-jen (程建人), Taiwan's de facto ambassador to Washington, according to the sources.

The US officials said the Bush administration wants to help Tai-wan boost its self-defense capabilities, but that cannot be done without satisfactory military exchanges between the two countries.

Translated by Jackie Lin