Retired admiral Huang Shu-kuang (黃曙光), who supervised the critical initial stages of the Indigenous Defense Submarine (IDS) program, has resigned as an adviser to the National Security Council for family reasons, the Presidential Office said yesterday.
Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said President William Lai (賴清德) praised Huang for his decades of service to the nation’s defense and for leading the challenging effort to build its first domestically produced submarine.
Huang joined the National Security Council in 2021, two years after he was appointed convener of the IDS program in 2019. He also briefly served as chief of the general staff from January 2020 to January 2021.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
As head of the IDS program, Huang oversaw the early stages, including negotiating foreign procurement, securing restricted components and finalizing the submarine’s design.
His leadership culminated in the launch of the Hai Kun (海鯤), or “Narwhal,” Taiwan’s first indigenous submarine, in September 2023.
Lai described the launch as a milestone in strengthening the nation’s defense self-reliance and said that subsequent work has since advanced smoothly.
Given his central role in developing the submarine program, Huang’s resignation sparked speculation about any potential impact on the Hai Kun’s ongoing sea trials and the building of further submarines.
Naval officials said Huang had already stepped down as convener in April last year, staying on only as a consultant while Navy Commander Admiral Tang Hua (唐華) assumed responsibility for the project’s management.
A source familiar with the program said Huang remained in the advisory role at Lai’s request for more than a year, but eventually felt his contributions were limited as the project had entered a more stable phase.
The IDS program is a collective effort undertaken by the Navy and shipbuilder CSBC Corp, Taiwan; National Defense and Security Research fellow Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲) said.
Huang’s greatest contribution was providing direction and steering the program through its most difficult initial stage, he added.
CSBC yesterday did not elaborate on whether Huang’s resignation is to affect the Hai Kun’s sea trials or delivery schedule.
It said it had never hired Huang for any position, including director or consultant, adding that it had no comment on whether he would be hired to help matters concerning the Hai Kun.
The submarine reportedly is to conduct its fourth sea acceptance tests (SAT) by the end of this month.
The submarine, which has carried out its third SAT, has to pass surface navigation trials, submerged tests and other tests before delivery.
CSBC Corp has not announced the dates for the submarine’s sea trials.
CSBC chairman Chen Cheng-hung (陳政宏) said earlier this month that the company would do everything within its power to ensure that the submarine meets the delivery deadline of November.
The company must proceed step by step to ensure the submarine’s functionality meets standards before conducting submerged and other tests, said Chen, an associate professor of the Department of Systems and Naval Mechatronic Engineering at National Cheng Kung University.
The company is to first perform shallow-water tests, followed by deep-sea tests, and is to also conduct torpedo launch trials, he said.
Despite variables such as sea conditions, the company would try its best to avoid penalties by meeting the contract delivery deadline, he added.
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