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Bureaucratic bickering delays adoption of new system for weapons acquisition

A new armament and weaponry acquisition system -- which should have been established on March 1 -- has yet to take shape because of differences of opinion both inside and outside the military.

The Ministry of National Defense held a public hearing yesterday to provide a forum for discussion of the problems surrounding the establishment of the new system.

Deputy defense minister for armaments, General Chen Chao-ming (陳肇敏), chaired the hearing, which was attended by defense officials, scholars and representatives from the private sector.

The defense ministry presented for discussion six differing proposals for the structure and organization of the new weaponry acquisition system.

At issue is whether the Chung Shan Institute of Science and Technology (中山科學院) and the logistics command -- the two main weaponry arms of the military -- should become subordinate to the Bureau of Armaments and Acquisition (BOAA) to form an integrated and independent acquisition system.

The organizational structure recommended by the defense ministry for the new system combine Chung Shan and the logistics command and makes them a part of the BOAA.

But several other proposals offered by the ministry as alternatives do not follow the same thinking.

Some proposals maintain that the Chung Shan Institute or the logistics command should be left as they are -- separate entities -- while others suggest that the BOAA be restructured as a staff agency, rather than an executive or decision-making agency.

With so many differing versions for the proposed structures on the table, the defense ministry does not seem ready to make a final decision.

At yesterday's hearing, the defense ministry's indecision on the matter drew criticism from some scholars, who said the ministry might as well offer a longer list of choices.

Representatives from the private sector also had their own ideas of how the new armament and weaponry acquisition system should be formed and provided several suggestions.

At the conclusion of the hearing, General Chen said that more hearings would be held in the future to decide the matter.

Despite the long road ahead, the defense ministry hopes to have a new system in place by February.

According to two defense laws, the new system should have been in place by March 1.
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