Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋) yesterday said he would prioritize legislation to clarify the definition of being “at war,” and which government agencies are to be in charge when the nation comes under cyberattacks.
Taiwan needs to improve in such mechanisms, and both the Ministry of National Defense (MND) and the Ministry of Digital Affairs (MDA) have stated that they are unsure who would be in charge of cyberattacks and defense if the nation is at war, he said.
The endeavor would involve many ministries and departments, Shen said, suggesting that the Executive Yuan take the lead and coordinate between government agencies while he helps set the overall direction and draft special laws.
Photo: Chen Cheng-yu, Taipei Times
Citing how NATO countries have established the Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE) to defend against Russian cyberattacks, Shen suggested that the Executive Yuan establish similar bodies to oversee all cyber warfare matters.
China is a threat to the entire world, but there has yet to be any country in Asia to establish a body similar to the CCDCOE, Shen said.
“If Taiwan takes the lead to establish the first, other nations will come and learn from us,” he said.
Such a center would imbue Taiwan with more excellent strategic value, as the world over would know that once Taiwan is at war, it would symbolize a net decrease in analytic teams to process Chinese cyberattacks.
Shen also urged that the MND and the MDA work together more closely.
Since its founding in 2022, the MDA has focused on measures to ensure network security and resilience during a time of war, but the ministry should also be working with the MND on fostering measures to combat cognitive warfare tactics, he said.
It would mean little if Taiwan retained network access during the war only to see the networks flooded with false information, he said.
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