The Ministry of National Defense said yesterday that it would adhere to its current streamlining program and has no plan to make further cuts to the armed forces.
The ministry’s statement came in response to a media report quoting anonymous military sources as saying that to help pave the way for an all-volunteer force in 2015, the government is mulling scraping the army, navy and air force headquarters and reducing the army to 120,000 people.
The sources were also quoted as saying that the proposal had triggered a dispute between Minister of National Defense Kao Hua-chu (高華柱) and National Security Council Secretary-General Jason Yuan (袁健生) during a meeting presided over by President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) last month.
Under the streamlining drive, titled the Chingtsui project, the armed forces will be reduced from 275,000 people to 215,000 by next year, and the number of generals will be cut from 393 to 292.
The Chingtsui project was initiated in 2011 following two similar projects: Chingshih, which began in 1997, and Chingching, which started in 2004.
“The armed forces are undergoing a structural and manpower adjustment in accordance with the Chingtsui project … and the ministry has no plan to further reduce the army to 120,000 soldiers,” the ministry said in a press release.
Military personnel, speaking on condition of anonymity, said other major changes would only be considered after the Chingtsui project is completed and a comprehensive evaluation conducted.
Dismissing rumors of an altercation between Kao and Yuan, the ministry said interactions with the National Security Council have been amicable, and that Yuan had kindly offered encouragement and assistance to the ministry.
“The report is absolutely unsubstantiated,” the ministry said.
In other developments, the Chinese-language China Times reported on Sunday that the ministry is planning to have substitute draftees stand guard at some camps starting next year in response to the manpower reductions.
The ministry said sentry duties are still carried out mainly by enlisted soldiers because the Enforcement Statute for Substitute Services (替代役實施條例) says substitute draftees should be tasked only with auxiliary jobs, public affairs and other social services.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is to launch a new program to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan and explore job opportunities here after graduation, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said on Friday. The government would provide full scholarships for international students to further their studies for two years in Taiwan, so those who want to pursue a master’s degree can consider applying for the program, he said. The fields included are science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductors and finance, Yeh added. The program, called “Intense 2+2,” would also assist international students who completed the two years of further studies in
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) departed for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark. Tsai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Friday night, but did not speak to reporters before departing. Tsai wrote on social media later that the purpose of the trip was to reaffirm the commitment of Taiwanese to working with democratic allies to promote regional security and stability, upholding freedom and democracy, and defending their homeland. She also expressed hope that through joint efforts, Taiwan and Europe would continue to be partners building up economic resilience on the global stage. The former president was to first
Taiwan will now have four additional national holidays after the Legislative Yuan passed an amendment today, which also made Labor Day a national holiday for all sectors. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) used their majority in the Legislative Yuan to pass the amendment to the Act on Implementing Memorial Days and State Holidays (紀念日及節日實施辦法), which the parties jointly proposed, in its third and final reading today. The legislature passed the bill to amend the act, which is currently enforced administratively, raising it to the legal level. The new legislation recognizes Confucius’ birthday on Sept. 28, the
MORE NEEDED: Recall drives against legislators in Miaoli’s two districts and Hsinchu’s second district were still a few thousand signatures short of the second-stage threshold Campaigners aiming to recall Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators yesterday said they expect success in 30 out of 35 districts where drives have passed the second-stage threshold, which would mark a record number of recall votes held at once. Hsinchu County recall campaigners yesterday announced that they reached the second-stage threshold in the recall effort against Legislator Lin Szu-ming (林思銘). A total of 26,414 signatures have been gathered over the past two months, surpassing the 10 percent threshold of 23,287 in Hsinchu County’s second electoral district, chief campaigner Hsieh Ting-ting (謝婷婷) said. “Our target is to gather an additional 1,500 signatures to reach
RSS