Defense experts called on the Ministry of Defense to create a standard code for maintaining discipline, after local media on Saturday reported that nine officers were reprimanded for administering inappropriate punishments to a conscript in Kinmen.
Earlier last week, a boot camp recruit surnamed Chung (鍾) was stripped of his shirt and had icepacks placed against his armpits and crotch as a punishment for napping during physical training, the Kinmen Defense Command confirmed on Saturday.
The command cadre of the battalion, including the battalion commander, the political warfare officer and the sergeant who ordered the drill have been transferred and could face criminal charges depending on the results of a military police investigation, it added.
Photo: CNA
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chao Tien-lin (趙天麟) on Saturday questioned the proportionality of the punishment against the officials.
“The Ministry of National Defense should create a code of discipline and training that is standardized across the branches of the armed forces,” said retired army major general Richard Hu (胡瑞舟), a researcher at the Taiwan Center for Security Studies.
Forced standing, extra physical training, self-critique, and the cancelation of leave and other privileges are acceptable methods of punishment that should be codified into the guideline, while lawbreakers should face criminal charges, Hu said.
Creating a separate system of military justice is not necessary for maintaining discipline, he added.
“The Japan Self-Defense Forces have no military courts, and the French Armed Forces only convene these types of courts in extraordinary circumstances. These countries show us that it is possible to have well-disciplined troops without resorting to military courts,” Hu said.
National Chengchi University international affairs professor Chen Wen-chia (陳文甲) said that the culture of command responsibility and mutual aid must be improved in the armed forces.
A unit’s command personnel must understand that they are responsible for the actions taken by their subordinates and that the law is to be followed to the letter, he said, adding that the public must also appreciate the necessity of collective punishment in the military.
“Complete trust and flawless teamwork must exist for a military organization to function,” he said. “Knowing how to strike a balance between discipline and trust is the test of good leadership.”
Shu Hsiao-huang (舒孝煌), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the military should enhance recruit training, such as by putting more emphasis on field exercises and honing combat skills.
“Collective punishment is perhaps necessary for the military, but those in charge should do more to understand why such incidents occur before taking disciplinary measures,” he said.
If the top brass overreacts to perceived failures, they risk causing discontent in the junior and noncommissioned officers who form the backbone of the military, or making instructors too wary of disciplining troops at all, he said.
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
US climber Alex Honnold left Taiwan this morning a day after completing a free-solo ascent of Taipei 101, a feat that drew cheers from onlookers and gained widespread international attention. Honnold yesterday scaled the 101-story skyscraper without a rope or safety harness. The climb — the highest urban free-solo ascent ever attempted — took just more than 90 minutes and was streamed live on Netflix. It was covered by major international news outlets including CNN, the New York Times, the Guardian and the Wall Street Journal. As Honnold prepared to leave Taiwan today, he attracted a crowd when he and his wife, Sanni,
Taiwanese and US defense groups are collaborating to introduce deployable, semi-autonomous manufacturing systems for drones and components in a boost to the nation’s supply chain resilience. Taiwan’s G-Tech Optroelectronics Corp subsidiary GTOC and the US’ Aerkomm Inc on Friday announced an agreement with fellow US-based Firestorm Lab to adopt the latter’s xCell, a technology featuring 3D printers fitted in 6.1m container units. The systems enable aerial platforms and parts to be produced in high volumes from dispersed nodes capable of rapid redeployment, to minimize the risk of enemy strikes and to meet field requirements, they said. Firestorm chief technology officer Ian Muceus said
RSS