Data allegedly leaked by former air force pilot Shih Chun-cheng (史濬程) was academic research from a development phase, not actual usage data, Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said today.
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday confirmed a media report that a retired air force major leaked classified documents to Chinese intelligence agents regarding the air force’s use of Hsiung Feng III anti-ship missiles mounted on aircraft, along with information on Taiwan’s response to Chinese incursions into the nation's air defense identification zone.
The ministry first received reports from military personnel in January 2023 that triggered a joint-defense mechanism and coordination with the military police to investigate the matter, Koo said.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
That military personnel reported the matter shows that the armed forces' education and counterintelligence improvements have borne fruit, he said.
To keep improving counterintelligence capabilities, the ministry would continue to educate soldiers on counterintelligence, increase background checks on personnel and augment personnel in the Military Intelligence Bureau, he added.
The ministry would also seek to emulate the US model for access to confidential information by having access based on background checks, need and confidentiality, rather than based on rank, Koo said.
In the past, special background checks were only necessary for some ranks, but moving forward, only those who have passed a review would be granted access, he said.
National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology chief executive officer Cheng Yi-cheng (程一誠) said that while it is not convenient to publicly provide information on the Hsiung Feng III’s development, the leak had no effect on research.
The leak dates to earlier in the project, which is still ongoing, Cheng said.
In a separate case regarding a retired soldier's lost phone allegedly ending up in China and having its contents leaked on Sina Weibo, Koo said photographs on the device were approved to be shared publicly and the phone had already been reported as lost.
The photos allegedly show group chats from Line, names of officers and soldiers, photos in which the 137th Brigade is visible and the contact information of the 8th Army Corps.
The situation highlights the utility of the armed forces’ mobile device management systems, which locked down functions on the device and prevented more sensitive information from being leaked, Koo said.
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