At the inauguration ceremony for the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) expressed three hopes: that the institute could help the government identify changes in Taiwan’s strategic situation, that it would have talented strategy researchers and that it would become a platform for exchange and cooperation with other nations.
She also said that the establishment of a national defense think tank was necessitated by the serious diplomatic challenges facing the nation.
Think tank development is an emerging knowledge industry. It is internationally recognized as an important benchmark of a nation’s soft power, and is a driving force behind social progress.
A government’s raison d’etre is to provide a peaceful environment in which the citizenry can live and work safely. This means paying equal attention to domestic and foreign affairs: Without stability and order, there will be no national security.
National defense and security are important, but domestic social order, stability and a secure national territory must not be ignored. In particular, social order and stability are closely related to the public’s daily lives. They are also the foundation on which social progress is built.
Following the terrorist attacks in Paris, nations around the world reviewed and shored up their anti-terrorist response capabilities.
A review of Taiwan’s capability to respond to a terrorist attack is worrying. In recent years, the nation has faced a difficult domestic security situation with frequent disasters and accidents, while crime levels and the number of public protests have been increasing, and social order has been deteriorating.
It is necessary to review the government’s overall capability to maintain social order, stability and the security of our national territory, and to quickly set up a forward-looking research institution focused on improving the nation’s comprehensive security.
To be able to maintain public safety and guarantee no terror attacks, forward-looking research must include improvement of anti-terrorism, security and disaster response management, as well as infrastructure and digital security, laws and regulations, and the use of technology.
Tsai has promised to introduce several reforms to the police force, such as increasing the force to full strength, making field operation demands more reasonable, updating equipment, integrating technology into the management system, and providing education and training.
In practice, agencies do not have the resources and staff required to deal with daily operations, which makes one wonder how many of these reforms it will be possible to implement. Without the support of forward-looking research, it would be difficult to make concrete, effective and sound policy suggestions.
Advanced nations have multiple think tanks dealing with police, social order, stability and the security of national territory. Examples are the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the Police Executive Research Forum and the Police Foundation. These institutes help the police resolve enforcement issues, research issues related to police organization and national security, and recommend laws about enforcement management and technology applications.
The Chinese Ministry of Public Security in 2015 set up two national think tanks on public security: one a research institute for developing public security strategy and the other for improving law enforcement standards and expertise. They participate in international activities and promote competitiveness and visibility.
Taiwan should pay attention to their influence and the threat that they might pose.
Guan Jehng-Jer is a former deputy director-general of the National Police Agency.
Translated by Perry Svensson
Lockheed Martin on Tuesday responded to concerns over delayed shipments of F-16V Block 70 jets, saying it had added extra shifts on its production lines to accelerate progress. The Ministry of National Defense on Monday said that delivery of all 66 F-16V Block 70 jets — originally expected by the end of next year — would be pushed back due to production line relocations and global supply chain disruptions. Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said that Taiwan and the US are working to resolve the delays, adding that 50 of the aircraft are in production, with 10 scheduled for flight
Victory in conflict requires mastery of two “balances”: First, the balance of power, and second, the balance of error, or making sure that you do not make the most mistakes, thus helping your enemy’s victory. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has made a decisive and potentially fatal error by making an enemy of the Jewish Nation, centered today in the State of Israel but historically one of the great civilizations extending back at least 3,000 years. Mind you, no Israeli leader has ever publicly declared that “China is our enemy,” but on October 28, 2025, self-described Chinese People’s Armed Police (PAP) propaganda
On Sunday, 13 new urgent care centers (UCC) officially began operations across the six special municipalities. The purpose of the centers — which are open from 8am to midnight on Sundays and national holidays — is to reduce congestion in hospital emergency rooms, especially during the nine-day Lunar New Year holiday next year. It remains to be seen how effective these centers would be. For one, it is difficult for people to judge for themselves whether their condition warrants visiting a major hospital or a UCC — long-term public education and health promotions are necessary. Second, many emergency departments acknowledge
Chinese Consul General in Osaka Xue Jian (薛劍) on Saturday last week shared a news article on social media about Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks on Taiwan, adding that “the dirty neck that sticks itself in must be cut off.” The previous day in the Japanese House of Representatives, Takaichi said that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could constitute “a situation threatening Japan’s survival,” a reference to a legal legal term introduced in 2015 that allows the prime minister to deploy the Japan Self-Defense Forces. The violent nature of Xue’s comments is notable in that it came from a diplomat,
RSS