President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday said there is no end to the road of reform in national defense as she urged military officers to courageously help resolve the nation’s problems.
The president made the comments at a ceremony at the Armed Forces Officers’ Club in Taipei at which 21 senior officers were promoted to the ranks of lieutenant general, major general, vice admiral and rear admiral.
The promotions are to take effect on Saturday.
Photo: Huang Yao-cheng, Taipei Times
The promotions mean the officers would have to shoulder more responsibility, Tsai said.
She asked them to “keep in mind the problems they have observed as they rose from the rank and file, and to persist with courage in working to solve the military’s problems.”
“There is no end to the road of national defense reform and we have to be good, and then even better,” Tsai said.
The president said that over the past year, her administration has stressed a clear direction for reform to help military personnel earn the respect of society and improve their working environment.
“Substantial improvements have been made to military uniforms, equipment and barracks,” she said in her address.
Stressing that she wanted to maintain a strong combat capability, Tsai said the government would continue to promote an independent national defense industry and an upgrading of the caliber of nation’s military personnel.
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