President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday touted the importance of enhancing the nation’s self-defense capabilities in a ceremony marking the shuffling of military brass.
Tsai’s remarks came amid rising tensions across the Taiwan Strait and on the same day the Chinese Communist Party celebrated the centennial of its founding in Beijing.
General Chang Guan-chung (張冠群), a former deputy minister of national defense, received the Order of the Cloud and Banner from Tsai, as he stepped down to assume the post of military strategy adviser at the Presidential Office.
Photo courtesy of the Presidential Office via CNA
Admiral Mei Chia-shu (梅家樹), the Deputy Chief of the General Staff and its executive officer, was promoted from vice admiral.
Taiwanese have high expectations for the armed forces and there is no time to wait to bolster national defense, Tsai said in a dedication at the Presidential Office in Taipei.
Chang’s decoration and Mei’s promotion were well deserved, and they are expected to continue their tireless work in improving the armed forces, she said.
As vice minister of national defense for armaments, Chang made immense contributions to the development of equipment, medical services and organizational work in military mobilization, Tsai said.
Chang’s grasp of technology played an important role in the development of armored fighting vehicle turrets, indigenous warship weapon systems and the T-5 Brave Eagle jet trainer program, she said.
He would continue to advise the government on improving weapons systems, she added.
Mei has a broad understanding of naval affairs from his tenure as captain of the ROCS Kee Lung, commander of the 146th Fleet and director of the Armaments Bureau, Tsai said, adding that she has full confidence in his ability to lead the navy.
Spouses of service members have the nation and the presidency’s gratitude for taking care of soldiers, she added.
The military confronts a complex environment shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic and China’s military threats, Minister of National Defense Chiu Kuo-cheng (邱國正) told officials at another ceremony on Wednesday.
The military is to focus on improving training standards, to ensure that troops act decisively, and implement the combined arms operational concept, he said.
Additionally, the military must strengthen multiagency cooperation in defense mobilization, and integrate civilian and wartime preparations, he said.
Officers should improve internal administration, exercise leadership, be thoroughly informed of the threat environment and possess the will to defend the nation, he said.
Seven of the 17 NT$10 million (US$311,604) winning receipts from the November-December uniform invoice lottery remain unclaimed as of today, the Ministry of Finance said, urging winners to redeem their prizes by May 5. The reminder comes ahead of the release of the winning numbers for the January-February lottery tomorrow. Among the unclaimed receipts was one for a NT$173 phone bill in Keelung, while others were for a NT$5,913 purchase at Costco in Taipei's Neihu District (內湖), a NT$49 purchase at a FamilyMart in New Taipei City's Tamsui District (淡水), and a NT$500 purchase at a tea shop in New Taipei City's
Taiwanese officials were shown the first of 66 F-16V fighter jets purchased by Taiwan from the United States, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday, adding the aircraft has completed an initial flight test and is expected to be delivered later this year. A delegation led by Deputy Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) visited Lockheed Martin’s F-16 C/D Block 70 (also known as F-16V) assembly line in South Carolina on March 16 to view the aircraft. The jet will undergo a final acceptance flight in the US before being delivered to Taiwan, the
The New Taipei Metro's Sanyin Line and the eastern extension of the Taipei Metro's Tamsui-Xinyi Line (Red Line) are scheduled to begin operations in June, the National Development Council said today. The Red Line, which terminates at Xiangshan Station, would be connected by the 1.4km extension to a new eastern terminal, Guangci/Fengtian Temple Station, while the Sanyin Line would link New Taipei City's Tucheng and Yingge stations via Sanxia District (三峽). The council gave the updates at a council meeting reviewing progress on public construction projects for this year. Taiwan's annual public infrastructure budget would remain at NT$800 billion (US$25.08 billion), with NT$97.3
TALENT SCOUTING: The university is investing substantial funds in its future to bring in the kind of researchers that would keep the college internationally competitive National Taiwan University (NTU) plans to invest NT$2 billion (US$62.6 million) to launch two programs aimed at attracting and retaining top research talent, university president Chen Wen-chang (陳文章) said yesterday. The funding would support the “Palm Grove Scholars Project,” which targets academics aged 40 to 55. Up to 20 scholars would be selected, each receiving as much as NT$10 million annually, Chen said. The initiative is designed to attract leading researchers to Taiwan and strengthen NTU’s global competitiveness by fostering a more research-friendly environment and expanding international collaboration, he said. NTU is also introducing a “Hong Hu” chair grant, which would provide Palm
RSS