As the first Taiwanese to become the Chief of the General Staff of the mainlander-dominated military three years ago, General Tang Yao-ming (湯曜明) will make another record in the history of Taiwan's military -- to be the first Taiwanese to assume the post of minister of national defense.
There are more "first" records which can be attributed to General Tang. These records are sure to make Tang the most representative figure of the transformation of the military from a mainlander-dominated power structure to a localized one.
The transformation began with former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), who made Tang the first Taiwanese commander-in-chief of the army in 1996 and then the chief of the general staff in 1999.
With so many "first" records, Tang was initially considered to be the only choice for President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) in the selection of candidates for the next defense minister several months ago.
The next defense minister will be the first to enjoy greater power than the chief of the general staff, according to the new military command structure to be put into place on March 1 on the basis of two defense-related laws passed two years ago.
It is widely believed in the military that the new defense-minister position was tailor-made for Tang. He and his staff office, rather than the Ministry of National Defense, played the leading role in the restructuring process.
Tang was expected to become the defense minister because his predecessors, Tang Fei (唐飛) and Hao Pei-tsun (郝柏村), also became defense ministers after serving their separate terms as chiefs of the general staff.
But then some unexpected developments seemed to call into question whether Tang would land the defense ministry post.
There is no clear information available on why Chen became hesitant in choosing Tang as the next defense minister.
A defense source said it might have something to do with the attitude of the US toward the issue. "Tang was apparently not liked by the US because of his personal style and the way he ruled the armed forces," the source said.
"The US seemed to favor air force chief General Chen Chao-ming (陳肇敏). That's why Chen was once rumored to have a greater chance than Tang to become the next defense minister," he said.
Despite the unexpected twist, Tang was still able to win out, due to what many believe was the firm support of former president Lee and retired military leaders such as former defense minister Chiang Chung-ling (蔣仲苓), according to sources.
Lee was the man who brought Tang to the highest position in the military, while Chiang was widely considered to have contributed to Tang's change of fate in his military career.
Around two decades ago, Tang's military career almost came to an end when he chose to become a military instructor at a Taipei college for girls.
It is a custom in the military that a career officer -- once becoming a military instructor in civilian academic institutes -- cannot go back to the military.
As he was sinking into obscurity, Tang got timely help from Chiang, who was then already a leader of the army, according to defense officials who knew the matter.
Because of Chiang's help, Tang went back to the military and went on to climb to the highest position in the military.
The command posts that Tang had served prior to the chief of the general staff include the leader of a division in 1984, the chief of staff at the Eighth Corps in 1986, the deputy commander of the Eighth Corps in 1989, the leader of the Eighth Corps in 1993, the deputy commander in chief of the army in 1995, and the commander in chief of the army in 1996.
In addition to aid from above, Tang also proved himself to be capable of handling the jobs he was assigned to do.
In 1993, when Tang was the leader of the Eighth Corps based in southern Taiwan, a severe flood in Kaohsiung offered him a chance to impress local political leaders with his ability to mobilize troops for search-and-rescue missions.
In 1995, shortly after assuming command of the army, Tang got another chance to demonstrate his ability in search-and-rescue efforts when a typhoon wrecked havoc around the nation.
Because of his outstanding performance in these missions, Tang earned the nickname of a "fighter against disasters" among the people, according to reports.
The devastating 921 earthquake further strengthened his reputation in post-disaster search and rescue missions.
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