The Ministry of National Defense yesterday said Chief of General Staff General Lin Chen-yi (林鎮夷) would remain in his position, making him the only chief of general staff in the past 20 years to remain in office for more than three years.
The ministry said that the Presidential Office had granted Lin another term, but did not say how long the term would be.
Over the past 20 years, most chiefs of general staff have stepped down after two-year terms. Lin’s extension breaks military convention and was against the law, some media have said.
The ministry said that according to the Act of Assignment for Officers And Non-commissioned Officers of the Armed Forces (陸海空軍軍官士官任職條), terms for important military posts last two to three years, but that if necessary, the terms for important posts could be extended.
The Presidential Office on Feb. 14 last year gave Lin a one-year extension to his service after his two-year term was completed.
The Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper), reported yesterday that according to military officials speaking on condition of anonymity, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) would announce a reshuffle of senior military officials after his second term starts on May 20.
Top military officials, including Minister of National Defense Kao Hua-chu (高華柱), Deputy Minister of National Defense Chao Shih-chang (趙世璋) and Lin could be reshuffled, the paper said.
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