Around 7,000 Humvees (high mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicle) were bought by the military shortly after the Gulf War in 1991, but after having been in use for a decade, the well-known vehicle is scheduled to be retired and replaced by a new model in a few years' time.
Minister of National Defense Tang Yao-ming (
Although the military is still working on the specifications of the new medium-weight transport vehicle, several local car manufacturers have shown a strong interest in bidding for the deal that is expected to be worth billions of NT dollars.
The army is responsible for deciding what specifications the new medium-weight transport vehicles will have, while the combined logistics command is taking care of other details such as preparations for the open bidding on the deal.
The military initially planned to buy replacement vehicles from abroad, but changed tack in accordance with a resolution passed by the legislature two years ago.
This slowed down the process of replacing the Humvee, as the army has had to spend the whole of last year studying the feasibility of buying from local car manufacturers.
The kind of medium transport vehicle that local car manufacturers can produce will be based on design and technology provided by foreign countries, sources said. A local car-making giant is planning to introduce technology from Japan as the basis for its model to compete for the deal.
A defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said some car manufacturers might erroneously assume that building such a vehicle is a simple matter.
"If they only have the capability to assemble a medium-weight transport vehicle according to foreign designs, they will run into big trouble. What we want is not just the vehicle itself, but also a sound logistics system backing it up," the official said.
"If we buy them from abroad, it will be less of a problem. Foreign companies that we might contact for the purchase are much less likely to be questioned on their ability to maintain post-sale repair and maintenance."
The Humvee's scheduled retirement has in fact been accellerated by a lot of problems surrounding the logistics system for the vehicle.
The military has used the Humvee since 1992. Around 7,000 of the vehicles have been put into service, most of them going to the army. But, for a variety of reasons, it has been unable to establish a working logistics system.
Among the problems are the lack of Chinese-language operation manuals for the vehicles and Chinese-language instructions for the use of the equipment, an army major said. Another is the failure to maintain on a constant basis a computer-controlled system for the detection of mechanical problems, the major added.
"The detection system is usually not used. Our senior officials insist on this practice for fear of damaging the sophisticated equipment," he said.
The government should improve children’s outdoor spaces and accelerate carbon reduction programs, as the risk of heat-related injury due to high summer temperatures rises each year, Greenpeace told a news conference yesterday. Greenpeace examined summer temperatures in Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Hsinchu City, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung to determine the effects of high temperatures and climate change on children’s outdoor activities, citing data garnered by China Medical University, which defines a wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) of 29°C or higher as posing the risk of heat-related injury. According to the Central Weather Administration, WBGT, commonly referred to as the heat index, estimates
Taipei and other northern cities are to host air-raid drills from 1:30pm to 2pm tomorrow as part of urban resilience drills held alongside the Han Kuang exercises, Taiwan’s largest annual military exercises. Taipei, New Taipei City, Keelung, Taoyuan, Yilan County, Hsinchu City and Hsinchu County are to hold the annual Wanan air defense exercise tomorrow, following similar drills held in central and southern Taiwan yesterday and today respectively. The Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) and Maokong Gondola are to run as usual, although stations and passenger parking lots would have an “entry only, no exit” policy once air raid sirens sound, Taipei
Taipei placed 14th in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Best Student Cities 2026 list, its highest ever, according to results released yesterday. With an overall score of 89.1, the city climbed 12 places from the previous year, surpassing its previous best ranking of 17th in 2019. Taipei is “one of Asia’s leading higher-education hubs,” with strong employer activity scores and students “enjoying their experience of the city and often keen to stay after graduation,” a QS staff writer said. In addition to Taipei, Hsinchu (71st), Tainan (92nd), Taichung (113th) and Taoyuan (130th) also made QS’ list of the top 150 student cities. Hsinchu showed the
Environmental groups yesterday filed an appeal with the Executive Yuan, seeking to revoke the environmental impact assessment (EIA) conditionally approved in February for the Hsieh-ho Power Plant’s planned fourth liquefied natural gas (LNG) receiving station off the coast of Keelung. The appeal was filed jointly by the Protect Waimushan Seashore Action Group, the Wild at Heart Legal Defense Association and the Keelung City Taiwan Head Cultural Association, which together held a news conference outside the Executive Yuan in Taipei. Explaining the reasons for the appeal, Wang Hsing-chih (王醒之) of the Protect Waimushan Seashore Action Group said that the EIA failed to address