With the rising threat from the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) — including incursions by its air force across the median line of the Taiwan Strait and military drills in Taiwan’s southwestern and southeastern air defense identification zones day and night — tensions in the Taiwan Strait and the wider region are dangerously high.
To enhance the air defense capabilities of pilots, the Republic of China Air Force said that it would resume late-night flight training from 11pm to early morning.
Night-flight capability is a key indicator to determine whether an air force possesses round-the-clock preparedness.
The pressure on Taiwan’s air force will only increase now that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) said it would increase its national defense budget in the annual “two sessions” gathering of the Chinese government.
The CCP’s national defense budget is about the equivalent of NT$7.32 trillion (US$231.26 billion), about 12 times what Taiwan spends.
To tackle the imbalanced situation, Taiwan’s military should bolster its training programs, not engage in an arms race.
Instrument flight rules (IFR), where pilots rely solely on flight deck instruments, are one of the most important parts of night training.
Based on data from instruments, pilots can ascertain crucial information such as altitude, conditions outside the aircraft and changes in topography.
Moreover, night-time IFR training can reduce the possibility of accidents caused by spatial disorientation — the inability to determine position or relative motion.
The three main kinds of fighter jets Taiwan deploys are equipped with complete night-time flight instruments.
The nation’s air force has also intensified late-night training in F-16 jets and other aircraft after upgrading their equipment and purchasing new items.
In the face of the CCP’s threat, pragmatically making decisions for military personnel is an important part of preparation. Although night flights might bother nearby residents, people should view national security as a priority and support the military.
Ray Song is a doctoral student at Tamkang University’s Institute of International Affairs and Strategic Studies.
Translated by Chien Yan-ru
Taiwan’s semiconductor industry gives it a strategic advantage, but that advantage would be threatened as the US seeks to end Taiwan’s monopoly in the industry and as China grows more assertive, analysts said at a security dialogue last week. While the semiconductor industry is Taiwan’s “silicon shield,” its dominance has been seen by some in the US as “a monopoly,” South Korea’s Sungkyunkwan University academic Kwon Seok-joon said at an event held by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. In addition, Taiwan lacks sufficient energy sources and is vulnerable to natural disasters and geopolitical threats from China, he said.
After reading the article by Hideki Nagayama [English version on same page] published in the Liberty Times (sister newspaper of the Taipei Times) on Wednesday, I decided to write this article in hopes of ever so slightly easing my depression. In August, I visited the National Museum of Ethnology in Osaka, Japan, to attend a seminar. While there, I had the chance to look at the museum’s collections. I felt extreme annoyance at seeing that the museum had classified Taiwanese indigenous peoples as part of China’s ethnic minorities. I kept thinking about how I could make this known, but after returning
What value does the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) hold in Taiwan? One might say that it is to defend — or at the very least, maintain — truly “blue” qualities. To be truly “blue” — without impurities, rejecting any “red” influence — is to uphold the ideology consistent with that on which the Republic of China (ROC) was established. The KMT would likely not object to this notion. However, if the current generation of KMT political elites do not understand what it means to be “blue” — or even light blue — their knowledge and bravery are far too lacking
Taipei’s population is estimated to drop below 2.5 million by the end of this month — the only city among the nation’s six special municipalities that has more people moving out than moving in this year. A city that is classified as a special municipality can have three deputy mayors if it has a population of more than 2.5 million people, Article 55 of the Local Government Act (地方制度法) states. To counter the capital’s shrinking population, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) held a cross-departmental population policy committee meeting on Wednesday last week to discuss possible solutions. According to Taipei City Government data, Taipei’s