OVERSEAS PRODUCTION:With the army’s new boots to be produced in Vietnam and Malaysia, officials said that proprietary technology could be obtained by China

Taipei Times
Date: Sep 22, 2015
By: Jason Pan  /  Staff reporter

A major military procurement prompted concerns over the leaking of proprietary technology that could endanger the lives of military personnel, which were raised by officials when an order for army combat boots was changed to allow its production in foreign nations.

The Chinese-language Apple Daily yesterday reported that the procurement was for 141,100 pairs of CB-99 combat boots, made from a combination of leather and canvas, and with a “digital camouflage” coating developed by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology (CSIST).

The Ministry of National Defense’s Armaments Bureau 205th Factory called for the CB-99 combat boots to be made in Taiwan.

However, after the tender process was completed, Armaments Bureau officials agreed to the contractor’s request to produce the boots in Vietnam and Malaysia.

Ministry data showed the total budget for the purchase was NT$119.94 million (US$3.64 million).

A military official, who declined to be named, yesterday said it is a concern that the CB-99 combat boots are to be produced in foreign nations, because the “digital camouflage” coating and its chemical ingredients use proprietary technology, including anti-infra red detection.     [FULL  STORY]