Addressing a problematic talent shortage at the nation’s top defense research body, the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology, which was spun off as a semi-private organization in 2014, could require changing the law, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wang Ding-yu (王定宇) said on Saturday.
After the institute was changed from a division of the Ministry of National Defense’s Armaments Bureau into a “semicommercial corporation” in June 2014, technology officers who led research and development work at the institute have gradually left, Wang said.
On the one hand, former employees found themselves with no place to go, while on the other, the institute had to hire people from other sectors of society, driving up personnel costs and increasing the security burden, Wang said.
“In light of the situation, I plan to draw up an amendment during the next legislative session after talking to the research institute, in the hope of bringing back the technology officers without effecting too many structural changes,” Wang said.
Prior to the transition, graduates from the National Defense University’s Chung Cheng Institute of Technology (CCIT) had a choice of going straight to work at the Chungshan Institute or spending some time in the military to build up experience.
However, due to ongoing military reforms, posts at the institute designed for military officers or civil servants have been left empty, preventing talented CCIT students from putting their skills to good use at the Chungshan Institute.
The situation does not bode well for President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) plans to increase Taiwan’s self-reliance in defense technology and develop submarines domestically, a source with knowledge of the matter said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“The programs require a high level of confidentiality — that is why the exit of technology officers who possess technological expertise, as well as military training, is not conducive to our defense technology development,” the source said, adding that there have been calls within the military to relax rules.
Chang Cheng (張誠), a former chief engineer for the locally developed Hsiung Feng III (“Brave Wind”) supersonic anti-ship missile, in January last year wrote an opinion piece in local media to draw attention to the situation.
CCIT graduates used to be the Chungshan Institute’s most stable and trustworthy group of researchers, Chang said.
They have received four years of military training and have internalized knowledge about the nation’s defense needs by the time they arrive at the institute, Chang added.
The effects of the talent shortage would be felt within 10 years, Chang said.
Taiwan is stepping up plans to create self-sufficient supply chains for combat drones and increase foreign orders from the US to counter China’s numerical superiority, a defense official said on Saturday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, the official said the nation’s armed forces are in agreement with US Admiral Samuel Paparo’s assessment that Taiwan’s military must be prepared to turn the nation’s waters into a “hellscape” for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Paparo, the commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, reiterated the concept during a Congressional hearing in Washington on Wednesday. He first coined the term in a security conference last
Prosecutors today declined to say who was questioned regarding alleged forgery on petitions to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators, after Chinese-language media earlier reported that members of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Youth League were brought in for questioning. The Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau confirmed that two people had been questioned, but did not disclose any further information about the ongoing investigation. KMT Youth League members Lee Hsiao-liang (李孝亮) and Liu Szu-yin (劉思吟) — who are leading the effort to recall DPP caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) and Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) — both posted on Facebook saying: “I
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,912) for advertisements that exceed its approved business scope, requiring the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license may be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter enforcement of Chinese e-commerce platforms and measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan in response to US President Donald Trump’s heavy tariffs on China. The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee met today to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Kuo Kuo-wen (郭國文) said
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,900) for advertisements that exceeded its approved business scope and ordered the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license would be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter supervision of Chinese e-commerce platforms and more stringent measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan as US President Donald Trump’s administration cracks down on origin laundering. The legislature’s Finance Committee yesterday met to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report on the matter. Democratic Progressive Party
RSS