Military trimming will not be completed until 2015: MND
ROC Central News Agency
2012/04/04 23:17:41
Taipei, April 4 (CNA) The streamlining of Taiwan's military will extend to 2015, one year later than scheduled, due to the delayed passage of relevant laws, according to the Ministry of National Defense (MND).
The MND started developing the streamlining program in 2008 and planned to implement it 2011-2013, but said in a recent report that it would not meet the 2014 completion deadline it had set.
The main reason is that the legislation regarding the re-structuring of the military-affiliated Chung-shan Institute of Science and Technology, the MND and its first-level agencies were not passed in the last Legislature, the report stated.
The MND agencies referred to are the General Staff Headquarters, Political Warfare Bureau, Armaments Bureau, Medical Affairs Bureau, and Controller Bureau.
The MND said it submitted the relevant draft bills again on Feb. 16 this year for review by the new Legislature. Under the streamlining program, military personnel will be cut from 275,000 to 215,000 and the number of ranking generals will be reduced from 393 to to 292.
Meanwhile, the Reserve and Police Military will fall under the General Staff Headquarters, which will establish a new anti-raid missile command.
The delayed passage of the laws will also affect the implementation of a voluntary military program that was scheduled to start Jan.1, 2015, a situation that the MND said will lead to an imbalance in the allocation of military personnel.
Minister of National Defense Kao Hua-chu is expected to report Thursday to the Legislature's Foreign and National Defense Committee on the streamlining program.
Legislator Lin Yu-fang, an expert on national defense affairs, said Wednesday that a postponement of the streamlining program will hamper proper distribution of national defense resources.
(By Flor Wang)
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