Chief of the General Staff (CGS) General Tang Yao-ming (
Reasons for General Tang's early retirement, which may come in two months, are not clear, but it is rumored that he might choose to step down because of a power struggle among the top brass.
Tang was sworn in as the CGS in February last year, succeeding Tang Fei (唐飛), who then became defense minister and is now premier.
According to regulations, the term of the CGS is two years, extendable to three or four years depending on the wishes of the president and other circumstances.
If the general retires in two months as planned, it would trigger a major personnel reshuffle among senior military leaders.
The navy commander-in-chief, Admiral Li, is the most likely candidate to succeed the general since it would be the navy's turn to occupy the top command position.
The armed forces follow an unwritten rule: the CGS job is rotated among the commanders of the three major services for the sake of fairness.
Under the rotation rule, Li would get the post since General Tang is from the army, while his two immediate predecessors -- Generals Lo Pen-li (
Tang Yao-ming should not have been eligible for the CGS position one year and seven months ago if the rotation rule had been strictly observed. Defense Minister Wu Shih-wen (
General Tang, however, got the promotion because former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) wanted him to become the first ethnic Taiwanese to serve as CGS.
Although Li Chieh is now favored to become the next CGS, there are still some variables that could derail his appointment, defense sources said.
President Chen Shui-bian (
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