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.
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