The Ministry of National Defense has made plans to harden Taiwan’s armed forces against extreme weather, it said in a report submitted to lawmakers to unfreeze the proposal’s budget.
Climate change woulds impact Taiwanese military infrastructure, operating procedures, energy supply and its relations with the forces of diplomatic allies, the report said.
The report was a condition for lifting a block on its ability to utilize 1 percent of its NT$402 million (US$12.58 million) national defense policy planning and guidance budget, imposed by the legislature.
Photo: Carlos Garcia Rawlins, Reuters
Global warming could lead to the formation of more typhoons, which could cause damage to military facilities and logistics and increase the burden of conducting disaster relief missions, the report said.
The construction of military bases, ammunition depots and logistics facilities would need to be hardened against flooding, mudslides, and extreme temperatures and humidity that spoil or set off explosives, it added.
Meteorological information collection and analysis would be bolstered to ensure preventive measures could be carried out before natural disasters could inflict damage to the military or impede its operations, the report said.
The cancelation of some military drills due to tropical storms has led to criticism over the Taiwanese armed forces’ capability to conduct operations in extreme weather conditions. In response, the military is to create guidelines for dealing with difficult weather and disseminate them across all ranks to ensure the armed forces can fight in adverse meteorological conditions, it said.
Climate change could lead to a range of new risks, including heat strokes, thermal injury and physical and mental wounds from the rigors of disaster relief missions, the ministry said, adding that the air force and navy would need to incorporate climate change and improved flight and navigation safety protocols in their professional education system.
These services must cooperate with the Central Weather Administration in training exercises and planning combat operations to minimize the negative impact of extreme weather, it said.
Priority should be given to developing the ability of commanders to swiftly respond to extreme weather events and make good operational decisions during their occurrence, it added.
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
An increase in Taiwanese boats using China-made automatic identification systems (AIS) could confuse coast guards patrolling waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast and become a loophole in the national security system, sources familiar with the matter said yesterday. Taiwan ADIZ, a Facebook page created by enthusiasts who monitor Chinese military activities in airspace and waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast, on Saturday identified what seemed to be a Chinese cargo container ship near Penghu County. The Coast Guard Administration went to the location after receiving the tip and found that it was a Taiwanese yacht, which had a Chinese AIS installed. Similar instances had also
CHANGES: After-school tutoring periods, extracurricular activities during vacations or after-school study periods must not be used to teach new material, the ministry said The Ministry of Education yesterday announced new rules that would ban giving tests to most elementary and junior-high school students during morning study and afternoon rest periods. The amendments to regulations governing public education at elementary schools and junior high schools are to be implemented on Aug. 1. The revised rules stipulate that schools are forbidden to use after-school tutoring periods, extracurricular activities during summer or winter vacation or after-school study periods to teach new course material. In addition, schools would be prohibited from giving tests or exams to students in grades one to eight during morning study and afternoon break periods, the
AMENDMENT: Contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau must be reported, and failure to comply could result in a prison sentence, the proposal stated The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) yesterday voted against a proposed bill by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers that would require elected officials to seek approval before visiting China. DPP Legislator Puma Shen’s (沈伯洋) proposed amendments to the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), stipulate that contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau should be reported, while failure to comply would be punishable by prison sentences of up to three years, alongside a fine of NT$10 million (US$309,041). Fifty-six voted with the TPP in opposition