Print

Mail

wiki links

Defense officials to boost employment of civilians

The Ministry of National Defense (MND) is to employ 204 civilian personnel within three years as part of its effort to establish a combined military and civilian personnel system, defense sources said yesterday.

The civilian personnel are to be recruited from two main channels: retired military officials who have passed examinations for civilian personnel posts and civil servants from other government departments.

The plan for a combined system was put forward in an amendment of the ministry's organizational law.

According to the amendment, which was passed into law more than two years ago, the proportion of civilian personnel in the MND should not be less than one-third of the total.

It also stipulates that the goal should be reached within three years after the amendment is passed.

The amendment was passed by the legislature at the beginning of 2000 and was announced by the president shortly afterward.

Although the three-year timetable is set to expire early next year, the MND has just begun steps to to meet the goal.

In a private meeting with media managers on Thursday, Minister of National Defense Tang Yao-ming (湯曜明) announced the plan for civilian personnel.

Among the 204 civilian personnel to be employed by the ministry, the posts of minister of national defense and deputy minister of national defense for administrative affairs have already been filled.

Tang, who took office early this year, is counted as a civilian because he had chosen to retire from the military before becoming minister.

The rest of the civilian positions are to consist of 84 posts for the 10th to 14th paygrades (ranging from colonel to lieutenant-general), 85 jobs for the sixth to ninth paygrades (ranging from major to colonel) and 33 positions for the first to fifth paygrades (all ranks from major down).

Military officials who want to be re-employed by the MND as civilians have to retire first and pass qualifying examinations.

It is not known whether the MND will prepare a separate retirement pension for military officials who become civilian personnel, who already have a pension from the military.

The MND will also be recruiting civilian personnel from other government departments.

However, the positions that the MND is to open to civilian personnel may not interest civil servants because they are focused on administrative affairs and staff research without involving more challenging tasks such as war planning.
This story has been viewed 2159 times.