Army Command Headquarters said yesterday that an incident concerning a West Point exchange student will not hurt Taiwan's communications and cooperation with the US Military Academy at West Point.
"I assure you that we will do our best to figure out what happened and will make public the result of our investigation as soon as possible," Deputy Commander-in-Chief Lieutenant General Pang Yu-tung (
"But, no matter what, this `incident' remains an `incident' and shall not change anything, including our relationship and friendship with the West Point," Pang said.
In a front-page story the Chinese-language United Daily News alleged on Wednesday that a West Point cadet had sex with an unidentified college student after meeting her at a bar. In the article, the woman did not claim she was raped, but said she felt "uncomfortable" after the hotel room tryst.
The report said the cadet had been taken to the bar by a student from the Republic of China Military Academy, surnamed Chuang (
The academy has put Chuang on probation for "damaging the academy's public image and reputation" by taking the cadet to "improper locations" where military personnel are advised not to go.
A number of senior officers have also been disciplined, the academy said in a statement.
The school's principal, Major General Chen Liang-pei (陳良沛), received a major citation while its dean, Major General Yang Nai-sheng (楊迺聲), and spokesman Colonel Lin Hsieh-hsiang (林協詳) received two minor citations.
Cadets Command Center Commander Colonel Hu Chung-shih (胡仲適) was given two citations and transferred to another office. Cadets Battalion Chief Lieutenant Colonel Hsiung Sheng-jung (熊勝榮) and his deputy, Major Cheng Kai (程凱), were both given two major citations.
Pang will chair an special task force to investigate the case, the academy said.
Taiwan is to commence mass production of the Tien Kung (天弓, “Sky Bow”) III, IV and V missiles by the second quarter of this year if the legislature approves the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.78 billion) special defense budget, an official said yesterday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said that the advanced systems are expected to provide crucial capabilities against ballistic and cruise missiles for the proposed “T-Dome,” an advanced, multi-layered air defense network. The Tien Kung III is an air defense missile with a maximum interception altitude of 35km. The Tien Kung IV and V
The disruption of 941 flights in and out of Taiwan due to China’s large-scale military exercises was no accident, but rather the result of a “quasi-blockade” used to simulate creating the air and sea routes needed for an amphibious landing, a military expert said. The disruptions occurred on Tuesday and lasted about 10 hours as China conducted live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait. The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said the exercises affected 857 international flights and 84 domestic flights, affecting more than 100,000 travelers. Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the government-sponsored Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the air
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
Taiwan’s armed forces have established response protocols for a wide range of sudden contingencies, including the “Wan Chun Plan” to protect the head of state, the Ministry of Defense (MND) said today. After US President Donald Trump on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, concerns have been raised as to whether China would launch a similar “decapitation strike” on Taiwan. The armed forces regularly coordinate with relevant agencies and practice drills to ensure preparedness for a wide range of scenarios, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) told reporters before a
RSS