Civilian training and mobilization, energy and infrastructure maintenance, emergency medical and evacuation facilities, communication infrastructure and security, and transportation and financial network security would be the five topics addressed in the first Whole-of-Society Defense Resilience Committee meeting slated for Thursday, sources said yesterday.
The committee is one of three Presidential Office committees established by President William Lai (賴清德) in June, along with the National Climate Change Committee and Healthy Taiwan Promotion Committee.
The defense committee is to be led by Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴), with Presidential Office Secretary-General Pan Men-an (潘孟安) and National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) serving as its deputy conveners, while Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) and Minister Without Portfolio Chi Lien-cheng (季連成) would be its executive secretaries.
Photo: Ann Wang, Reuters
The committee would assess the nation’s mobilization capabilities and how to better manage national budgets and resources to meet objectives, sources said.
The committee focuses on public-private collaboration and practical experience, they said.
It has invited a diverse group, in age, sex and profession, and representatives from the private sector, government and academia, they said.
The committee would have four advisers and 23 members, of which 68.7 percent are non-government representatives and 31.2 percent are women.
The committee members have five key areas of focus: civilian training and mobilization, energy and infrastructure maintenance, emergency medical and evacuation facilities, communication infrastructure and security, and transportation and financial network security, they said.
Government officials on the committee include Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄), Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝), Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱), Minister of Agriculture Chen Junne-jih (陳駿季), Minister of Health and Welfare Chiu Tai-yuan (邱泰源) and Ocean Affairs Council Minister Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲).
Representatives for civilian training and mobilization include Yushan Baoguang Temple chairman Wang Pao-tsung (王寶宗), National Defense Education Association chairman Liao Ying-hsi (廖英熙), Presbyterian Church in Taiwan general secretary Chen Hsin-liang (陳信良), Forward Alliance director Enoch Wu (吳怡農), Taiwan Digital Diplomacy Association founder Chiayo Kuo (郭家佑), Kuma Academy cofounder and DoubleThink Labs consultant Tseng Po-yu (曾柏瑜), and Shih Hsin University College of Journalism and Communications associate professor Liu Yu-hsi (劉裕皙).
Representatives for energy and critical infrastructure maintenance include National Chengchi University Department of Public Administration professor Tu Wen-ling (杜文苓) and National Taiwan University Department of Computer Science and Informational Engineering associate professor Hsiao Hsu-chun (蕭旭君).
For emergency medical and evacuation facilities, representatives include Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation executive director Yen Po-wen (顏博文), Taiwan Development Association for Disaster honorary chairperson Avon Hsiao (蕭雅文) and Kuma Academy chairperson Liu Wen (劉文).
Experts on communication and network security include Tina Lin (林雅芳), a managing director at Google Taiwan, Trend Micro manager for Taiwan and Hong Kong Bob Hung (洪偉淦), Taiwan Network Information Center chief executive officer Kenny Huang (黃勝雄), Taiwan Space Agency Director-General Wu Jong-shinn (吳宗信) and Association of Hackers in Taiwan director Dai Chen-yu (戴辰宇).
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