MNA

With the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching, Vice Minister of National Defense General Chung Shu-ming visited armaments units in central Taiwan today. On behalf of Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo Li-hsiung, he extended early holiday greetings to all personnel and commended their longstanding contributions to national security, military materiel research, development, and production, and military facilities and property management. Accompanied by relevant Joint Staff officers, Vice Minister Chung visited the Central Region Construction and Real Estate Division of the Armaments Bureau’s Construction and Real Estate Service Center and the 401st Plant of its Manufacturing and Production Center. He received mission briefings, reviewed the progress of ongoing projects, and presented Mid-Autumn Festival meal allowances in recognition of the dedication of military personnel and research and production staff. Vice Minister Chung stated that armaments readiness provides a solid foundation for defense preparedness and defense self-reliance. He noted that the Central Region Construction and Real Estate Division has long been responsible for maintaining military facilities and property and constructing new facilities. Its work is essential to improving service members’ living facilities and optimizing the use of defense assets. The division was also named an Exemplary Unit by the Ministry of National Defense this year in recognition of its outstanding performance. The 401st Plant, meanwhile, has demonstrated substantial research and production capabilities in optoelectronics, precision measurement, and geospatial surveying and mapping, providing indispensable support for enhancing the military’s overall defense capabilities. Regarding the development of critical technologies and current missions, Vice Minister Chung instructed the 401st Plant to treat the protection of classified information, counterintelligence, and information security as top priorities. He called for the rigorous implementation of cybersecurity safeguards, access controls, and security measures to protect critical national defense information. In response to current defense operational requirements, Vice Minister Chung emphasized that armaments production and engineering management must continue to evolve. He encouraged the units to advance their core technologies and professional expertise, implement risk-control and workplace-safety measures, and strengthen organizational resilience and technological research and development capabilities, ensuring that all force-development missions are completed on schedule and to the required standards.

Vice Minister for Armaments General Chung Shu-ming visited Hualien today on behalf of Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo Li-hsiung to extend appreciation to personnel at the Hualien Armed Forces General Hospital and the Hualien-Taitung Detachment of the Armaments Bureau’s Construction and Real Estate Service Center. He thanked them for their long-standing dedication to combat readiness support and medical services and extended his early wishes for a happy Dragon Boat Festival. During the visit, Vice Minister Chung received briefings from the Hualien-Taitung Detachment of the Central Region Construction and Real Estate Division under the Armaments Bureau’s Construction and Real Estate Service Center, as well as from the Hualien Armed Forces General Hospital, to gain a better understanding of their mission execution and current priorities. Regarding the operations of the Hualien-Taitung Detachment, Vice Minister Chung noted that the Hualien-Taitung region covered a vast area, making mission execution and project implementation particularly challenging. He encouraged the unit to periodically review non-essential tasks and scheduling arrangements to avoid unnecessary workloads. He also emphasized the importance of personnel succession planning and knowledge transfer to ensure a smooth transition of responsibilities before experienced contract employees retired. With respect to real estate and facility management, which frequently involved land administration, inspections, and coordination with local authorities, Vice Minister Chung encouraged leaders at all levels to proactively understand on-site conditions, identify the root causes of issues, and handle related cases appropriately. After receiving the briefing from the Hualien Armed Forces General Hospital, Vice Minister Chung stated that military medical personnel served as both service members and healthcare professionals. In addition to providing routine medical care, they should develop a comprehensive understanding of military medicine and their roles in wartime operations. He emphasized the importance of considering the functions and responsibilities that military hospitals would assume during combat operations. He also called for closer coordination with the theater of operations and the continued refinement of casualty collection, forward medical support, treatment at designated hospitals, and medical evacuation planning through peacetime preparations, computer-assisted wargaming, and validation during the Han Kuang Exercises. Furthermore, he encouraged integration with the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s designated hospital network to jointly strengthen medical resilience in the Hualien region. Regarding the hospital’s future development, Vice Minister Chung stated that enhancing medical capacity required continuous improvements in facilities, professional expertise, and the quality of healthcare services. He encouraged the superintendent and supervisors at all levels not only to excel in their professional responsibilities but also to focus on the hospital’s long-term development. Through effective goal-setting, strategic planning, and performance management, they could continue improving healthcare quality and operational effectiveness. He further noted that smart healthcare would be an important area of future development. Fields such as AI-assisted clinical decision-making and healthcare system automation merit sustained investment and advancement. Vice Minister Chung encouraged all personnel to leverage collective wisdom, strengthen communication and coordination, and continue advancing the development of military medicine.