MNA

Vice Minister for Policy Hsu Szu-chien visited the Yilan area today. He successively visited Army and Navy units, learned about their combat readiness training status, and expressed high appreciation and commendation for the officers’ and enlisted personnel’s dedication in steadfastly holding their posts to defend the homeland. Accompanied by Admiral Chiang, Chief of Navy, Navy Headquarters, Lieutenant General Chen, Chief of Staff, Army Headquarters, and Lieutenant General Lien, Commander of the 6th Army Corps, among others, Vice Minister Hsu visited units including the 168th Fleet and the Lanyang Regional Command. He received unit briefings, gained a detailed understanding of combat readiness preparations, expressed concern for the officers’ and enlisted personnel’s living conditions and leave arrangements, and, on behalf of Minister Wellington Koo Li-hsiung, presented bonuses to commend them for their hard work in fulfilling daily missions and maintaining their posts. Vice Minister Hsu stated that on the eve of the Dragon Boat Festival, he made a special visit to the units to convey Minister Koo’s care and encouragement. He reminded commanders at all levels to fulfill their responsibility in taking care of their brothers and sisters, and extended early wishes for a happy and peaceful Dragon Boat Festival. Vice Minister Hsu mentioned that last week all officers and enlisted personnel had diligently participated in the Tianma Exercise and delivered outstanding performance. All shooting tasks hit their targets. This not only validated the results of their solid training but also demonstrated the units’ overall combat capabilities. He expressed appreciation for their efforts and dedication. Vice Minister Hsu emphasized that ROC Armed Forces officers and enlisted personnel shouldered the heavy responsibility of defending the homeland. He encouraged all personnel to persistently refine their core training tasks, implement various combat readiness preparations, maintain high vigilance and response capabilities, ensure that units remain in the highest state of combat readiness, and jointly safeguard national security.

The 22nd Military Operations Research and Modeling and Simulation Forum was held today at National Tsing Hua University. Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien and National Tsing Hua University President W. John Kao jointly attended the opening ceremony. Experts and scholars from various sectors were invited to exchange views on key defense technology issues, including artificial intelligence (AI), modeling and simulation, autonomous systems, and unmanned systems, with the aim of enhancing the nation’s overall scientific research capabilities. Vice Minister Hsu stated that rapid changes in the international security environment and advances in technology had transformed the nature of modern warfare. He noted that unmanned systems and AI technologies had become critical components of future defense capabilities. Emphasizing that “technology is the future of the Republic of China, and Taiwan’s technological development has always remained at the forefront of innovation,” he expressed hope that Taiwan’s technology sector would continue contributing to the development of the national defense industry and strengthening the nation’s defense capabilities. Vice Minister Hsu further pointed out that one of the key challenges facing defense technology development involved not only unmanned systems themselves but also the integration of various weapons platforms and systems. This included the effective integration of domestically developed and foreign-procured equipment. He noted that substantial technological support was required to enable rapid target identification, threat assessment, and weapons allocation, thereby enhancing overall defense operational effectiveness. President W. John Kao stated that military technology had long served not only as a driving force behind national defense development but also as the source of many innovations that had transformed modern life. Technologies such as the Internet and the Global Positioning System (GPS) had originated from military research and development efforts, demonstrating that the defense sector had also been a significant catalyst for technological innovation. President Kao noted that National Tsing Hua University had long been committed to promoting technological innovation and technology transfer. Earlier this year, the university established the nation’s first university-led “Tsing Hua University Science Park” to further integrate campus research capabilities and accelerate the transition of research outcomes from laboratories to society and industry. He also announced that the university would soon launch the NT$1 billion “Tsing Hua Future Fund,” which would provide resources to help researchers, students, and industry partners overcome the so-called “valley of death” in the innovation process and further strengthen Taiwan’s technological competitiveness. During the keynote session, Professor Shang-Hong Lai of the Department of Computer Science at National Tsing Hua University delivered a presentation titled “Applications of Artificial Intelligence in National Defense,” in which he explored the use of AI technologies in defense-related scenarios. In addition, Dr. Shih-Pin Kou, Senior Advisor at the National Defense University, presented “How Autonomous Edge Uses Decentralized Command to Direct Autonomous Unmanned Operations,” sharing recent developments in autonomous operations and distributed command systems. Furthermore, exhibition booths established by universities, manufacturers, and enterprises from Taiwan and abroad were displayed around the forum venue, showcasing a wide range of defense-related technologies and capabilities. Exhibits included modeling and simulation systems, intelligent training solutions, AI-assisted decision-making technologies, unmanned aerial vehicles, unmanned ground vehicles, unmanned underwater vehicles, counter-drone systems, digital battlefield services, and autonomous command-and-control solutions. These exhibits highlighted the latest achievements in the development of intelligent defense technologies.

Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien presided today over the Republic of China 2026 “All-Out Defense Education – Social Education” Seed Instructor Training Workshop. On behalf of Minister Wellington Koo Li-hsiung, he welcomed participants from various sectors and encouraged them to strengthen teaching capabilities through professional study, expand the foundation for promoting all-out defense education, build consensus among the public, and enhance Whole-of-Society Defense Resilience. The workshop was held this morning at the Bo’ai Camp. All-out defense affairs personnel recommended by various county and city governments, along with scholars from civil society, participated in the training. The curriculum covered topics such as “National Defense Policy,” “International Situation,” “Media Literacy,” and “All-Out Defense.” Experts and scholars including Director Su Tzu-yun and Researcher Lee Che-chuan from the Institute for National Defense and Security Research were invited to deliver special lectures and analyses. In addition, the Department of Strategic Planning explained the “Special Act on Defense Procurement,” enabling participants to understand its importance to overall national defense. Vice Minister Hsu stated that, facing the future task of promoting all-out defense education, seed instructors had to clearly convey national defense concepts to the public, explaining “why we fought and for whom we fought” — that was, to safeguard the homeland, protect their way of life, and ensure the safety of the 23 million people in Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu, while clearly recognizing the current security challenges. Vice Minister Hsu pointed out that the war in Ukraine had shown that national defense did not rely solely on military combat power; the key had lain in the will of the entire population to defend the country. Only through the joint participation of the whole society could overall defense strength be formed. He also emphasized that war depended not only on weapons and equipment but also required strong will and resilience to effectively respond to various challenges. Vice Minister Hsu further explained that the forms of modern warfare had evolved rapidly, and unmanned systems had become a key element in operations. Taiwan had possessed advantages in the relevant industry supply chain, particularly holding a critical position in the “non-red supply chain,” and should continue to strengthen development capabilities. At the same time, as Taiwan had been located at the core of the First Island Chain, it had needed to enhance overall defense capabilities in response to changes in the regional situation. Regarding the special defense budget, Vice Minister Hsu pointed out that the relevant planning had been carefully formulated based on overall operational requirements and had covered areas such as strike firepower, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems, command and control operations, and sustained combat capabilities. He emphasized that all military buildup elements had to be constructed holistically and work in coordination to effectively enhance national defense combat power. Vice Minister Hsu stressed that the allocation of the special budget had been based on overall national defense development needs and coordinated with domestic industry capabilities. Through stable planning and long-term investment, it had strengthened defense self-reliance and supply chain resilience, ensuring the continuous advancement of military buildup and readiness.

The Ministry of National Defense held the “Artificial Intelligence Governance Committee Special Lecture and ROC Armed Forces AI Development Concept Seminar” yesterday (April 8) at the Bo’ai Camp. Vice Minister for Policy Hsu Szu-chien presided over the event and invited National Security Council Advisor Li Yu-chieh to provide guidance. Participants included members of the Ministry’s Artificial Intelligence Governance Committee (unit heads), commands of the three services, the National Defense University, and the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology. The goal was to draw on practical experience from industry and academia to enhance the AI literacy of the ROC Armed Forces and lay a foundation for promoting AI development in national defense. In his remarks, Vice Minister Hsu stated that lectures only provided inspiration, while implementation was the key. He encouraged commanders at all levels to shift from passive to active approaches and actively apply diverse AI technologies. The Ministry of National Defense fully supported each unit in advancing their projects, hoping that through AI technology, administrative operational efficiency could be effectively improved and new momentum could be injected into the modernization of the ROC Armed Forces. The special lecture invited Dr. Chen Ling-Jyh, Director of the Department of Information Technology Services, Academia Sinica and Chief Executive Officer of the Taiwan AI Academy, to speak on the topic “Winning the Future: AI Literacy, Practice, and Security.” He explained the evolution of AI development from “perception” to “physical embodiment” and shared Academia Sinica’s practical experience, including how they built a “Large Language Model (LLM)” under strict cybersecurity controls, and how they developed speech recognition transcription systems, question-and-answer robots, and document verification tools to effectively resolve pain points in public administration and simplify operational processes. Regarding military applications, Dr. Chen specifically proposed the “Nine Reminders for Promoting Defense AI,” which covered core concepts such as infrastructure resilience and human-machine collaboration. He also explained the risks and challenges of introducing AI, reminding all units to establish mechanisms for verifying the authenticity of information and to strictly prevent the leakage of sensitive data. At the same time, he emphasized that introducing AI technology was an urgent and important task. Only by accelerating the implementation and application of the technology could the digital transformation of the ROC Armed Forces be effectively strengthened. The Ministry of National Defense stated that the AI Project Office’s organization of this special lecture and comprehensive seminar helped integrate common needs across units and initiated the process of advancing the ROC Armed Forces toward digital development.

Vice Minister for Policy Hsu Szu-Chien stated today that the “Special Act on Procurement for Strengthening Defense Resilience and Asymmetric Warfare Capabilities” was proposed in response to enemy threats and joint operations requirements. The overall planning covered capability construction in strike, intelligence surveillance reconnaissance, command and control, unmanned systems, and sustained combat capabilities. These various capabilities were interdependent and could not be arbitrarily reduced or postponed. He hoped that all political parties would jointly support national defense buildup and the enhancement of defense resilience. The Executive Yuan held a press conference after its meeting this morning, during which Vice Minister Hsu explained issues related to the special defense act. Vice Minister Hsu pointed out that this special budget adopted a one-time, large-scale investment approach. In addition to accelerating combat power acquisition, it could also provide long-term stable demand for domestic industries and drive the development of unmanned systems and the national defense industry. If the budget were changed to annual allocations, it would affect the military buildup timeline and the effectiveness of equipment integration. Regarding military procurement progress, Vice Minister Hsu stated that the relevant military procurement cases had all completed preliminary coordination with the U.S. side and obtained formal letters of supply assurance. The Ministry of National Defense would continue to maintain close communication and coordination with the U.S. side to ensure smooth advancement of all procurement cases. In addition, Vice Minister Hsu emphasized that promoting large-scale and long-term procurement of unmanned systems and related equipment through the special budget would not only help rapidly enhance combat power but also assist domestic manufacturers in investing in research and development and production capacity building, thereby strengthening defense self-reliance and supply chain resilience.

With the Lunar New Year approaching, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien, on behalf of Minister Wellington Koo Li-hsiung, commended the basic units in New Taipei area for their steadfast dedication at their posts, and encouraged them to sustained improvement to ensure stable operations while extending his early New Year greetings. Accompanied by relevant Joint Staff officers, Vice Minister Hsu visited the New Taipei City Reserve Command and the New Taipei Armed Forces Finance Section, receiving briefings and having a talk with the military personnel, during which Vice Minister Hsu interacted cordially with all personnel, inquired about their work environment and living conditions, thanked them for their steadfast and silent contributions at their posts, and had group photos with them in the end. During inspecting New Taipei Armed Forces Finance Section, Vice Minister Hsu instructed to continue strengthening publicity and consultation services for emergency loans for military servicemen, assisting them in properly addressing needs through formal channels when required, and reminded them to integrate financial management publicity mechanisms to enhance personal awareness of financial risks and avoid falling into improper loaning dilemmas. Through the discussion with cadres of the Reserve Service Center to gain their opinions and understand practical needs in basic units, Vice Minister Hsu stated that reserve cadres had long served as an important bridge between the military and the society, acting as an extension of vital military strength. He also emphasized that reserve mobilization training was completely adjusted to a 14-day training period, with a more practical training course to strengthen training effectiveness and wartime response capabilities. He encouraged all units to improve drills and cross-agency coordination mechanisms to enhance mobilization efficiency and overall support capacity for ensuring national security and social stability.