As if the Ministry of National Defense did not already have enough on its plate as it makes the fitful transition to an all-volunteer military system, the death of a 23-year-old soldier under mysterious circumstances on July 4 risks making the task of attracting recruits all the more onerous.
Army Corporal Hung Chung-chiu’s (洪仲丘) death in Taoyuan, from what the public is told was heat stroke, is a stark reminder of the risks that come with a job in the armed forces, as well as of the culture of violence that exists in military establishments the world over.
It is one thing for soldiers to be reprimanded when they break regulations, or for their training to push them to the limits of their physical abilities. After all, the military needs to produce individuals who are capable of handling stress and able to operate under extraordinary hardships. However, it is another to engage in what can only be described as “hazing” or mistreatment, which rather than embolden soldiers serves only to undermine their morale and damage the reputation of the armed forces.
Given the state of the nation’s military and the poor image that it has with the public — although this is often unjustified — such incidents cannot be allowed to happen. If they do, the government must do everything in its power to bring the perpetrators to justice and to fix a system that allows for such behavior to occur in the first place.
Hung’s case could not have happened at a worse time, as it generates extremely bad publicity just as the armed forces struggle to attract the quality recruits needed to create a smaller, meaner, better educated and more modern military.
Through a combination of entry salaries that cannot possibly compete with those offered in the private sector, the fear of constant displacement, personal risks, rampant defeatism and poor public perceptions of life in the ranks — as well as unfavorable demographics — the ministry has continually failed to meet the recruitment benchmarks it has set for itself so that it can bring down the total active duty force to 215,000 by early 2015, from 270,000 at present.
The well-publicized news of Hung’s ill treatment will certainly not help, and the consequences could be far worse if the ministry and top officials in President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration do not deal with the matter with the seriousness that the situation warrants. It goes without saying that Hung’s family deserve full disclosure on the events leading to their son’s death and should be appropriately compensated for their loss. Beyond that, the Ma government must ensure that the scandal does not further undermine morale among the troops and hurt the reputation of the military as a potential career choice.
This is a very serious matter and one that, if mishandled, could complicate the ministry’s efforts to shift to a professional system, if not torpedo the program altogether.
Ultimately, what is at stake is not simply the safety of individual members of the armed forces; it is the very service that employs thousands of individuals who, every day, through personal sacrifice and at some risk, patrol this nation’s coastlines, air space and waters to ensure that Taiwanese can continue to enjoy the freedoms, liberties and way of life that make Taiwan such a precious place.
The tragedy of Hung’s death should be used as an occasion to take a serious look at the conditions under which our soldiers operate and the means by which service in the military can be made more attractive. The ministry owes it to the thousands of young Taiwanese who will undergo boot camp training and those who, for various reasons, will choose to make a career in the armed forces.
US President Donald Trump has gotten off to a head-spinning start in his foreign policy. He has pressured Denmark to cede Greenland to the United States, threatened to take over the Panama Canal, urged Canada to become the 51st US state, unilaterally renamed the Gulf of Mexico to “the Gulf of America” and announced plans for the United States to annex and administer Gaza. He has imposed and then suspended 25 percent tariffs on Canada and Mexico for their roles in the flow of fentanyl into the United States, while at the same time increasing tariffs on China by 10
Trying to force a partnership between Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) and Intel Corp would be a wildly complex ordeal. Already, the reported request from the Trump administration for TSMC to take a controlling stake in Intel’s US factories is facing valid questions about feasibility from all sides. Washington would likely not support a foreign company operating Intel’s domestic factories, Reuters reported — just look at how that is going over in the steel sector. Meanwhile, many in Taiwan are concerned about the company being forced to transfer its bleeding-edge tech capabilities and give up its strategic advantage. This is especially
US President Donald Trump last week announced plans to impose reciprocal tariffs on eight countries. As Taiwan, a key hub for semiconductor manufacturing, is among them, the policy would significantly affect the country. In response, Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) dispatched two officials to the US for negotiations, and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC) board of directors convened its first-ever meeting in the US. Those developments highlight how the US’ unstable trade policies are posing a growing threat to Taiwan. Can the US truly gain an advantage in chip manufacturing by reversing trade liberalization? Is it realistic to
Last week, 24 Republican representatives in the US Congress proposed a resolution calling for US President Donald Trump’s administration to abandon the US’ “one China” policy, calling it outdated, counterproductive and not reflective of reality, and to restore official diplomatic relations with Taiwan, enter bilateral free-trade agreement negotiations and support its entry into international organizations. That is an exciting and inspiring development. To help the US government and other nations further understand that Taiwan is not a part of China, that those “one China” policies are contrary to the fact that the two countries across the Taiwan Strait are independent and
RSS