The central government is mulling the establishment of a Taiwanese version of the US’ Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in a bid to accelerate the research, development and application of military technology, Deputy Minister of National Defense Lee Hsi-ming (李喜明) said.
Lee made the comments at the 14th annual US-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference in Williamsburg, Virginia.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) yesterday said that integrating the industries should be the responsibility of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, while advancing defense research should be conducted by the National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology.
Chiang said a “Taiwanese DARPA” could elicit government malfeasance and compared it to the Taiwan Goal case.
The Taiwan Goal case refers to the publicly funded arms firm Taiwan Goal Co (鐽震). Two months after it was officially launched, the firm was dissolved in March 2008 by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, after KMT lawmakers said it was inappropriate for the government to be involved in the arms trade.
Then-president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) defended the firm, saying it was established to facilitate arms procurement for Taiwan.
The government should explain how a “Taiwanese DARPA” would be structured and it should outline its mission and specify procedures for handing out contracts, Chiang said.
The Ministry of National Defense issued a statement yesterday, saying arms procurement and business integration are “not pertinent” to the mission of the proposed agency, adding that the planned agency “in no way” resembles the Taiwan Goal case.
The National Defense Technology Development and Application Committee, a joint organization that involves the ministries of national defense, economic affairs and science and technology, is “hard pressed” to do any defense-related work because it has no budget for the development of technology, it added.
The committee is to be reorganized and its convener is to be promoted to facilitate defense and defense-related budgeting, it said.
Lee’s announcement regarding the establishment of a “Taiwanese DARPA” prompted debate among legislators, and the proposal might become a contentious policy item due to its requirement for the sharing or distribution of funds across agencies, critics said.
DARPA is a US agency dedicated to research in scientific and engineering programs for military purposes.
The US Department of Defense established DARPA in 1958 as a response to the then-Soviet Union’s launch of the Sputnik satellite in 1957, which shocked the US into taking remedial action to counter Soviet advances in science and technology with military potential.
DARPA’s annual standing budget is estimated to be close to US$3 billion, and its spending is further bolstered by additional funding when research projects are under way.
The agency also has a longstanding history of funding research in autonomous drones, as well as platforms and prizes for international technology and engineering challenges.
Critics in Taiwan said the nation has lagged behind other East Asian countries in establishing a DARPA-like agency, as Japan and China have already founded national advanced defense research establishments.
South Korea is also in the process of creating one.
Tropical Storm Gaemi strengthened into a typhoon at 2pm yesterday, and could make landfall in Yilan County tomorrow, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The agency was scheduled to issue a sea warning at 11:30pm yesterday, and could issue a land warning later today. Gaemi was moving north-northwest at 4kph, carrying maximum sustained winds near its center of up to 118.8kph and gusts of 154.8kph. The circumference is forecast to reach eastern Taiwan tomorrow morning, with the center making landfall in Yilan County later that night before departing from the north coast, CWA weather forecaster Kuan Shin-ping (官欣平) said yesterday. Uncertainty remains and
SEA WARNING LIKELY: The storm, named Gaemi, could become a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, with the Taipei City Government preparing for flooding A tropical depression east of the Philippines developed into a tropical storm named Gaemi at 2pm yesterday, and was moving toward eastern Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Gaemi could begin to affect Taiwan proper on Tuesday, lasting until Friday, and could develop into a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, it said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued as early as Tuesday morning, it added. Gaemi, the third tropical storm in the Pacific Ocean this typhoon season, is projected to begin moving northwest today, and be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday, the agency said. Today, there would likely
DISRUPTIONS: The high-speed rail is to operate as normal, while several airlines either canceled flights or announced early departures or late arrivals Schools and offices in 15 cities and counties are to be closed today due to Typhoon Gaemi, local governments announced last night. The 15 are: Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Tainan, Keelung, Hsinchu and Kaohsiung, as well as Yilan, Hualien, Hsinchu, Miaoli, Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Lienchiang counties. People should brace for torrential rainfall brought by the storm, with its center forecast to make landfall on the east coast between tonight and tomorrow morning, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The agency issued a sea warning for the typhoon at 11:30pm on Monday, followed by a land warning at 11:30am yesterday. As of
CASUALTY: A 70-year-old woman was killed by a falling tree in Kaohsiung as the premier warned all government agencies to remain on high alert for the next 24 hours Schools and offices nationwide are to be closed for a second day today as Typhoon Gaemi crosses over the nation, bringing torrential rain and whipping winds. Gaemi was forecast to make landfall late last night. From Tuesday night, its outer band brought substantial rainfall and strong winds to the nation. As of 6:15pm last night, the typhoon’s center was 20km southeast of Hualien County, Central Weather Administration (CWA) data showed. It was moving at 19kph and had a radius of 250km. As of 3pm yesterday, one woman had died, while 58 people were injured, the Central Emergency Operation Center said. The 70-year-old