The National Security Bureau (NSB) is enhancing protections for top government officials by bolstering its counter-drone capabilities and closely monitoring political extremists, a report submitted to lawmakers showed.
Security threats to the president, vice president, Cabinet members and other top officials are on the rise amid a complex, hazardous landscape and sophisticated uncrewed aerial vehicle technology, the bureau said in the report on how to improve security for the country’s top officials.
With the rapid development of technology, smaller multifunction drones are becoming available at a relatively low cost, the NSB said in the report submitted last week.
Photo: Taipei Times
Such drones are difficult to detect and, therefore, have become “a serious threat” to the safety of top-level officials and critical infrastructure in Taiwan, it said.
Small drones can be used to attack a target, collect intelligence and interfere with communications, it said.
To counter the growing threat, the NSB said it purchased new anti-drone guns and drone jammers to replace those that have been in use for years, with the aim of enhancing its countermeasure capabilities.
The report also said that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) continues to “infiltrate, spy on and offer bribes” to retired and current Taiwanese military personnel to gather intelligence.
The CCP also recruits individuals in Taiwan to stage protests and disrupt public events attended by the president or vice president, it said.
In response to the threats, the NSB said it would enhance information sharing among police and local intelligence agencies to counter CCP infiltration campaigns, cybercrime and large-scale protests, and would make timely adjustments to its deployment of security details.
The bureau said it would also create a database of political extremists and groups with violent tendencies.
In addition, it would work closely with local police and the online intelligence collection system to regulate and monitor the activities of such groups and individuals, to better protect Taiwan’s political leaders, it said.
The report is to be reviewed by lawmakers today during a session of the legislature’s Internal Administration Committee.
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