Civilian control of military
With Vice President William Lai (賴清德) of the Democratic Progressive Party soon to be the new Republic of China president, the Ministry of National Defense is set for reform.
A civilian minister would play an important role in national defense, and the major change from traditional military control to civilian control would lead to both challenges and opportunities for Taiwan’s defense.
Civilian ministers know how to integrate new mindsets and diverse backgrounds into national defense. That is the biggest advantage that they bring.
Traditional thinking on national defense has tended to prefer a minister who used to serve in the armed forces and has a comprehensive knowledge of the military.
In this era of international tensions, national security challenges not only concern the armed forces, but also involve diplomacy and law.
Civilian ministers are more likely to provide thoughtful solutions to these challenges.
However, civilian ministers do have some weaknesses. They do not always have enough understanding of the armed forces.
Therefore, they tend to rely on support and professional advice from the military.
Civilian ministers also need to spend time fostering trust between themselves and the military.
That could be a long process.
Amid rising Taiwan-China tensions, a civilian minister could improve the situation across the strait.
With China continuing to strengthen its armed forces and posing increasingly serious threats to Taiwan, it is time that a civilian minister takes a proactive approach and ensures that effective policies to guard Taiwan are implemented.
Local media have reported that National Security Council Secretary-General Wellington Koo (顧立雄) is to be the new minister of national defense when Lai takes office.
If true, Taiwan would have more opportunities to cooperate with the US on national security, since Koo has rich experience in international affairs and diplomacy.
On the other hand, Koo must work with the military to ensure that national defense is resilient to any kind of threat.
Civilian control over the military provides a new vision for Taiwan’s defense. Civilians can solve problems with a different mindset than traditional thinking, and that helps bolster Taiwan’s national defense.
However, civilians still need to overcome difficulties, including insufficient knowledge about the military, and the need to build trust and legitimacy in order to lead.
Through hard work and cooperation, a civilian minister could finally make an impactful contribution to modernizing and upgrading national defense.
Chieh Jiu
Taipei
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