Some military ammunition and supply stockpiles would have to be kept in inhabited areas for Taiwan to be defended effectively, Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) told lawmakers at a meeting of the Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee at the legislature in Taipei yesterday.
Top defense officials also briefed legislators on the Ministry of National Defense’s (MND) internal probe into the use of blacklisted Chinese-made dashcams in military vehicles and an effort to develop a new service rifle chambered in 6.8mm.
Asked about reports alleging that the military plans to store shells in temples in wartime, Koo said that the armed forces expect a defensive campaign in conditions that preclude a strict separation of front lines and rear areas.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
Dispersion of military supply depots — including ammunition stores — is essential in defensive warfare, he said, adding that the armed forces take pains to ensure their practices comply with international and domestic laws.
Lieutenant General Lu Chien-chung (盧建中), deputy chief of the general staff for communication, electronics and information, told lawmakers that the ministry had initiated a probe into allegations that Chinese-made dashcams were being used in the military.
About 800 devices made by Chinese firms have been removed, while an investigation is ongoing into built-in cameras for vehicles, Lu said.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Hsu Chiao-hsin (徐巧芯) asked why the ministry had signed a contract with a supplier on April 8, 2021, the same day that the firm was blacklisted.
Ministry officials said that the order was placed before the firm was blacklisted.
Asked if the deal could be canceled, they said that the contract would be reviewed.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) asked if the military plans to develop a new 6.8mm cartridge and service rifle chambered in the caliber, citing the move to larger calibers by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army and the US Army.
Wang also asked whether optical sights would become standard for rifles used by Taiwanese armed forces, adding that Legislator Lin Yi-chuan (林憶君), who has yet to serve in the army, made a perfect score during a visit to a shooting range at a reservist training facility.
The ministry plans to launch a project to develop a 6.8mm-caliber rifle, and deliver a prototype to the army for assessment and evaluation by the end of this year, Koo said.
The ministry is issuing optical sights in phases with the goal to equip all rifle-armed combat troops with a scope, he said.
Army Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Chen Chien-yi (陳建義) said that the service considers scopes and not iron sights to be the standard for aiming devices on rifles and that the indigenously developed scope for the T112 combat rifle has performed well.
The ministry expects to soon submit a budget proposal to equip special operations forces and non-mounted infantry units with rifle scopes, Chen said.
Separately, Koo said on the sidelines of the session that reports alleging the nation’s drone programs have stalled due to a lack of foreign orders are false and that the second-generation Teng Yun and Albatross drone programs remain operational.
Asked about reports that Beijing has been using guided tours to China to recruit young Taiwanese to collect intelligence in Taiwan, he said that the ministry is countering Chinese espionage with defense education programs and careful security clearance vetting.
‘NO SECURITY RISK’: The Railway Bureau reassured the public that the technicians’ activities were limited to technical guidance and did not involve sensitive systems The Railway Bureau yesterday said it had invited eight Chinese technicians to assist with an airport MRT construction project. The bureau issued the confirmation after an Internet user said Chinese nationals had entered the construction zone of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport’s Terminal 3 project. They asked why “individuals from an enemy state” were allowed access to such a major national infrastructure project, which raised serious concerns over Taiwan’s industrial safety, sensitive systems and information security. The bureau’s Northern Region Engineering Branch Office said subcontractor Taiwan Handle Industrial Co (台灣手把工業) of the Taoyuan airport MRT’s “Contract No. CU05 Project A14 Station Civil, MEP &
A US uncrewed surface vessel (USV) encountered multiple Chinese warships during an autonomous transit of the Taiwan Strait, US defense company Seasats said in a statement on Wednesday. Seasats announced that a Lightfish USV had completed the first autonomous transit of the Taiwan Strait. Over five days, the USV traversed the entire length of the Strait while constantly monitoring surface vessel traffic, the company said. The Lightfish encountered multiple Chinese warships, one of which was a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Type 056 corvette, it said. The Chinese vessels were operating “well within Taiwan’s exclusive economic zone without transmitting their identity via the
Taiwan is still in the process of assessing the possibility of recruiting workers from Eswatini, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday, adding that its goal is to help Eswatini upgrade its vocational training centers. If there are plans to recruit workers from Eswatini, safeguarding national security, protecting public health and ensuring the employment rights of Taiwanese would be prerequisites, Department of West Asian and African Affairs Director-General Yen Chia-liang (顏嘉良) told a news conference. Key considerations would also include filling labor shortages in specific industries, and fostering bilateral professional and technical exchanges, he said. Yen was asked about the progress of labor
‘BOOMING’: ’ The number of partners we have here is incredible. You can see from their stock prices. They’re doing so well, they’re so happy,’ Jensen Huang said Nvidia Corp’s spending in Taiwan has ballooned to about US$150 billion a year, 10 times the US$10 billion to US$15 billion the company spent five years ago, Nvidia chief executive officer Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) said yesterday, suggesting Taiwan’s strategic importance in the global artificial intelligence (AI) supply chain. “Taiwan is the epicenter of the AI revolution. This is where the chips come, packaging comes. This is where the systems are made. This is where AI supercomputers were created,” Huang said at a meeting for the company’s employees in Beitou-Shilin Technology Park (北投士林科技園區) in Taipei, the planned site of Nvidia’s Taipei headquarters. “Taiwan
RSS