The nation's first female combat-status general is an electronic communications expert, specializing in information technology (IT) hardware and anti-virus computer software.
Chai Hui-chen (
A graduate from National Taiwan University's Horticulture Department, Chai didn't start her military career until after she was admitted into National Defense Medical College's Graduate Institute of Biochemistry. She later obtained a doctorate in computer science from Syracuse University in New York State.
After serving at electronic communications centers at various military units, Chai was promoted to her current post in July last year.
In the face of the rapid buildup of China's electronic warfare arsenal, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) has stepped up electronic warfare combat preparedness with a view to establishing a three dimensional safety dragnet to maintain smooth communications and command operations, troop mobility and military barracks security. With her superb IT expertise, Chai has played an important role in this process, military sources said.
In recent years, Chinese have frequently tried to hack into Taiwanese government and military Web sites. Chai has often assisted government agencies in strengthening their firewalls to protect their communications systems and data banks, military sources said. Chai once said confidently that attacks from Chinese hackers had provided good opportunities to practice the skills needed to protect the military's communications systems.
The MND held a commissioning ceremony for the 44 soon-to-be generals at the Armed Forces Officers' Club in Taipei on Thursday, with Minister of National Defense Lee Jye (李傑) presiding. Both President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) attended the ceremony.
Chai was decorated with the major general's badge by her husband and daughter at the commissioning ceremony.
Seven were conferred with the rank of lieutenant general or vice admiral, and 37 were promoted to major generals or rear admirals.
Addressing the commissioning ceremony, President Chen said, in his capacity as the commander-in-chief of the nation's armed forces, that Chai's promotion symbolizes the efforts of the military to achieve gender equality in the military.
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
A preclearance service to facilitate entry for people traveling to select airports in Japan would be available from Thursday next week to Feb. 25 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC) said on Tuesday. The service was first made available to Taiwanese travelers throughout the winter vacation of 2024 and during the Lunar New Year holiday. In addition to flights to the Japanese cities of Hakodate, Asahikawa, Akita, Sendai, Niigata, Okayama, Takamatsu, Kumamoto and Kagoshima, the service would be available to travelers to Kobe and Oita. The service can be accessed by passengers of 15 flight routes operated by
Taiwanese and US defense groups are collaborating to introduce deployable, semi-autonomous manufacturing systems for drones and components in a boost to the nation’s supply chain resilience. Taiwan’s G-Tech Optroelectronics Corp subsidiary GTOC and the US’ Aerkomm Inc on Friday announced an agreement with fellow US-based Firestorm Lab to adopt the latter’s xCell, a technology featuring 3D printers fitted in 6.1m container units. The systems enable aerial platforms and parts to be produced in high volumes from dispersed nodes capable of rapid redeployment, to minimize the risk of enemy strikes and to meet field requirements, they said. Firestorm chief technology officer Ian Muceus said
MORE FALL: An investigation into one of Xi’s key cronies, part of a broader ‘anti-corruption’ drive, indicates that he might have a deep distrust in the military, an expert said China’s latest military purge underscores systemic risks in its shift from collective leadership to sole rule under Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), and could disrupt its chain of command and military capabilities, a national security official said yesterday. If decisionmaking within the Chinese Communist Party has become “irrational” under one-man rule, the Taiwan Strait and the regional situation must be approached with extreme caution, given unforeseen risks, they added. The anonymous official made the remarks as China’s Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia (張又俠) and Joint Staff Department Chief of Staff Liu Zhenli (劉振立) were reportedly being investigated for suspected “serious
RSS