Addressing a problematic talent shortage at the nation’s top defense research body, the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology, which was spun off as a semi-private organization in 2014, could require changing the law, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wang Ding-yu (王定宇) said on Saturday.
After the institute was changed from a division of the Ministry of National Defense’s Armaments Bureau into a “semicommercial corporation” in June 2014, technology officers who led research and development work at the institute have gradually left, Wang said.
On the one hand, former employees found themselves with no place to go, while on the other, the institute had to hire people from other sectors of society, driving up personnel costs and increasing the security burden, Wang said.
“In light of the situation, I plan to draw up an amendment during the next legislative session after talking to the research institute, in the hope of bringing back the technology officers without effecting too many structural changes,” Wang said.
Prior to the transition, graduates from the National Defense University’s Chung Cheng Institute of Technology (CCIT) had a choice of going straight to work at the Chungshan Institute or spending some time in the military to build up experience.
However, due to ongoing military reforms, posts at the institute designed for military officers or civil servants have been left empty, preventing talented CCIT students from putting their skills to good use at the Chungshan Institute.
The situation does not bode well for President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) plans to increase Taiwan’s self-reliance in defense technology and develop submarines domestically, a source with knowledge of the matter said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“The programs require a high level of confidentiality — that is why the exit of technology officers who possess technological expertise, as well as military training, is not conducive to our defense technology development,” the source said, adding that there have been calls within the military to relax rules.
Chang Cheng (張誠), a former chief engineer for the locally developed Hsiung Feng III (“Brave Wind”) supersonic anti-ship missile, in January last year wrote an opinion piece in local media to draw attention to the situation.
CCIT graduates used to be the Chungshan Institute’s most stable and trustworthy group of researchers, Chang said.
They have received four years of military training and have internalized knowledge about the nation’s defense needs by the time they arrive at the institute, Chang added.
The effects of the talent shortage would be felt within 10 years, Chang said.
SHIPS, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES: The ministry has announced changes to varied transportation industries taking effect soon, with a number of effects for passengers Beginning next month, the post office is canceling signature upon delivery and written inquiry services for international registered small packets in accordance with the new policy of the Universal Postal Union, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The new policy does not apply to packets that are to be delivered to China, the ministry said. Senders of international registered small packets would receive a NT$10 rebate on postage if the packets are sent from Jan. 1 to March 31, it added. The ministry said that three other policies are also scheduled to take effect next month. International cruise ship operators
NUMBERS IMBALANCE: More than 4 million Taiwanese have visited China this year, while only about half a million Chinese have visited here Beijing has yet to respond to Taiwan’s requests for negotiation over matters related to the recovery of cross-strait tourism, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. Taiwan’s tourism authority issued the statement after Chinese-language daily the China Times reported yesterday that the government’s policy of banning group tours to China does not stop Taiwanese from visiting the country. As of October, more than 4.2 million had traveled to China this year, exceeding last year. Beijing estimated the number of Taiwanese tourists in China could reach 4.5 million this year. By contrast, only 500,000 Chinese tourists are expected in Taiwan, the report said. The report
The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency yesterday launched a gift box to market honey “certified by a Formosan black bear” in appreciation of a beekeeper’s amicable interaction with a honey-thieving bear. Beekeeper Chih Ming-chen (池明鎮) in January inspected his bee farm in Hualien County’s Jhuosi Township (卓溪) and found that more than 20 beehives had been destroyed and many hives were eaten, with bear droppings and paw prints near the destroyed hives, the agency said. Chih returned to the farm to move the remaining beehives away that evening when he encountered a Formosan black bear only 20m away, the agency said. The bear
Chinese embassy staffers attempted to interrupt an award ceremony of an international tea competition in France when the organizer introduced Taiwan and displayed the Republic of China flag, a Taiwanese tea farmer said in an interview published today. Hsieh Chung-lin (謝忠霖), chief executive of Juxin Tea Factory from Taichung's Lishan (梨山) area, on Dec. 2 attended the Teas of the World International Contest held at the Peruvian embassy in Paris. Hsieh was awarded a special prize for his Huagang Snow Source Tea by the nonprofit Agency for the Valorization of Agricultural Products (AVPA). During the ceremony, two Chinese embassy staffers in attendance
RSS