Lee Hsi-ming to head military: ministry
RETIRING:Chief of the General Staff Chiu
Kuo-cheng turned down an invitation to extend his term, saying that the system
of elevation of rank should be respected
By LoTien-pin, Chen Wei-han and Jake Chung
/ Staff reporters, with staff writer
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday
confirmed President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) appointment of Deputy
Minister of National Defense Lee Hsi-ming (李喜明) as the nation’s new chief
of the general staff, among a reshuffle of positions at the top of the military
and the ministry.
Lee is to fill the position left vacant by
Chief of the General Staff Chiu Kuo-cheng (邱國正), who assumed the post in
December last year, but will reach the retirement age of 64 for the position by
the end of this month.
Chiu turned down an invitation to extend his
term, saying that the system of elevation of rank should be respected and that
he would be retiring at the end of this month, sources who requested anonymity
said.
Lee’s ministry post is to be filled by
another admiral, Deputy Chief of the General Staff Pu Tze-chun (蒲澤春),
while Deputy Commander of the Army Lieutenant General Chen Pao-yu (陳寶餘)
is to take over from Pu and be promoted to general.
Deputy Minister of National Defense General
Cheng Te-mei (鄭德美) is to transfer to the Presidential Office
to act as Tsai’s strategic adviser, the ministry said in a statement, adding
that National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology president Chang
Guan-chung (張冠群) would fill Cheng’s position and would be
promoted to general.
Chang’s promotion would be the first time an
academic has taken a post as deputy minister of national defense, the sources
said.
The reassignments are set to take effect on
May 1.
Meanwhile, Minister of National Defense Feng
Shih-kuan (馮世寬) yesterday told a meeting of the
legislature’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that the ministry would
formally declare its intention to procure Lockheed Martin F-35 jets to US
officials in July when Washington is expected to finalize its appointment of
Taiwan affairs officials.
Asked by Democratic Progressive Party
Legislator Lo Chih-cheng (羅致政) if the ministry would be
seeking F-35s, Feng said that the ministry “has such a plan in response to the
enemy’s military development.”
“Because the appointments of [US] officials
have not yet been completed, [a formal proposal] would be made to Washington in
July,” he said.
The military wants F-35s because their short
takeoff and vertical landing capabilities, as well as their advanced stealth
features, would allow the air force to retain combat capacity should its air
bases be destroyed.
The attempt to acquire F-35s became the main
topic of yesterday’s legislative session after the ministry announced that it
would test the nation’s defensive capabilities with F-35s factored in during
the computer simulation in this year’s Han Kuang exercises.
The simulation would be based on the
cross-strait military balance in 2025, when Chinese People’s Liberation Army is
expected to have three aircraft carriers and a fleet of Sukhoi Su-35 jets,
Lieutenant General Chiang Chen-chung (姜振中) said.
Original post: taipeitimes.com
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