Cracks are beginning to form in the new military command structure, PFP lawmaker Ku Chung-lien (
The system, which places the defense minister above the chief of the general staff, was expected to provide solutions to some old problems such as an outdated distribution of power. But before such problems can be resolved, new problems have cropped up, Ku said.
Some of the problems are old issues in a new form. The original problem of the distribution of power and responsibility between the defense minister and the chief of the general staff, for instance, has evolved into a problem between the minister, the premier and the president.
In the past, the president controlled the military through the chief of the general staff, bypassing the defense minister and the premier. Under the new military command structure, the president exercises his control over the military through the defense minister, bypassing the premier.
The Defense Law and the amended Organizational Law of the Ministry of National Defense, which provide a legal basis for the new command structure, fails to clearly define the power relationship between the president, the premier and the minister.
Ku, a retired admiral, said the problem needs attention and refuses to go along with those applauding the new system. Ku is a former deputy defense minister and a former commander-in-chief of the navy.
According to Ku, the new system has not unified the divided command and administrative systems as the military claims.
"It has rather further divided the military into three operational systems," Ku said.
The three operational systems are the command, administrative and armament systems, which are handled respectively by the chief of the general staff and two deputy ministers under the authorization of the minister.
The three systems are seemingly unified under the command of the minister, yet they remain independent of each other, Ko said.
According to Ku, the arrangement not only exacerbates the original problem caused by the division between the command and administrative systems, it further complicates matters by introducing a third independent system -- the armament system.
Minister of National Defense Tang Yao-ming (湯曜明), when asked by lawmakers at the legislature about who will act on his behalf if he is absent from office, said he will leave administrative affairs to the deputy defense minister for administration, command affairs to chief of the chief of the general staff and armament affairs to the deputy defense minister for armament.
Tang's response led to more questions such as "which one of the three deputies can make the final decision?"
Taiwan yesterday condemned the recent increase in Chinese coast guard-escorted fishing vessels operating illegally in waters around the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea. Unusually large groupings of Chinese fishing vessels began to appear around the islands on Feb. 15, when at least six motherships and 29 smaller boats were sighted, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said in a news release. While CGA vessels were dispatched to expel the Chinese boats, Chinese coast guard ships trespassed into Taiwan’s restricted waters and unsuccessfully attempted to interfere, the CGA said. Due to the provocation, the CGA initiated an operation to increase
CHANGING LANDSCAPE: Many of the part-time programs for educators were no longer needed, as many teachers obtain a graduate degree before joining the workforce, experts said Taiwanese universities this year canceled 86 programs, Ministry of Education data showed, with educators attributing the closures to the nation’s low birthrate as well as shifting trends. Fifty-three of the shuttered programs were part-time postgraduate degree programs, about 62 percent of the total, the most in the past five years, the data showed. National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) discontinued the most part-time master’s programs, at 16: chemistry, life science, earth science, physics, fine arts, music, special education, health promotion and health education, educational psychology and counseling, education, design, Chinese as a second language, library and information sciences, mechatronics engineering, history, physical education
The Chinese military has boosted its capability to fight at a high tempo using the element of surprise and new technology, the Ministry of National Defense said in the Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) published on Monday last week. The ministry highlighted Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) developments showing significant changes in Beijing’s strategy for war on Taiwan. The PLA has made significant headway in building capabilities for all-weather, multi-domain intelligence, surveillance, operational control and a joint air-sea blockade against Taiwan’s lines of communication, it said. The PLA has also improved its capabilities in direct amphibious assault operations aimed at seizing strategically important beaches,
‘MALIGN PURPOSE’: Governments around the world conduct espionage operations, but China’s is different, as its ultimate goal is annexation, a think tank head said Taiwan is facing a growing existential threat from its own people spying for China, experts said, as the government seeks to toughen measures to stop Beijing’s infiltration efforts and deter Taiwanese turncoats. While Beijing and Taipei have been spying on each other for years, experts said that espionage posed a bigger threat to Taiwan due to the risk of a Chinese attack. Taiwan’s intelligence agency said China used “diverse channels and tactics” to infiltrate the nation’s military, government agencies and pro-China organizations. The main targets were retired and active members of the military, persuaded by money, blackmail or pro-China ideology to steal
RSS