Military

Navy plans to purchase 10 MH-60R Seahawks

Taiwan News
Date: 2015-10-29
By: Ko Lin, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

The Republic of China Navy (ROCN) plans to purchase 10 MH-60R helicopters from the

Navy plans to purchase MH-60R Seahawks. Central News Agency

Navy plans to purchase MH-60R Seahawks. Central News Agency

United States to replace its ageing fleet of 500MDs, Navy Chief of Staff Vice Admiral Hsiao Wei-min said during a question-and-answer session at the legislature on Thursday.

The proposed bill riled opposition from legislators at the Legislative Yuan’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee meeting in the morning, as they questioned the necessity of such procurement.

Hsiao pointed out that its current fleet of anti-submarine 500MD Defenders are severely outdated and has been in service since the 80s.

“In order to upgrade the Navy’s Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates anti-submarine capabilities, the 500MDs have to be phased out eventually to make way for a new replacement,” he explained.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan says rust on Apaches being investigated; training unaffected

Want China Times
Date: 2015-10-28
By: CNA

The Republic of China Army said Tuesday it is looking into the cause of the rust that has

Huang Kuo-min, right, reports at the Ministry of National Defense in Taipei, Oct. 27. (Photo/CNA)

Huang Kuo-min, right, reports at the Ministry of National Defense in Taipei, Oct. 27. (Photo/CNA)

appeared on the tail rotor gearbox of AH-64E Apache attack helicopters purchased from the United States, but stressed that training on the chopper has not been affected.

Major General Huang Kuo-min, commander of the Army Aviation Special Forces Command, confirmed the problem with the Apaches at a news briefing and said people with the US company that built the helicopters have formed a task force to study the problem and provide advice.

The rust problem has not affected the military’s training program for the helicopters, the most advanced in Taiwan’s fleet.

“We will formally commission the Apaches into service on schedule in early 2017,” Huang said.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan to establish national military museum

Taiwan News
Date: 2015-10-24
By: Central News Agency

Taipei, Oct. 24 (CNA) The Ministry of National Defense is planning to build a new national military museum dedicated to the history of the Republic of China’s military, which will be located near the ministry’s headquarters in Taipei.

In an effort to demonstrate its ongoing work to establish the museum, the ministry held a ceremony Saturday at the site where the museum will be built.

The ceremony was also attended by President Ma Ying-jeou, the ministry said in a statement. It is expected to take eight years to build the 10-story museum designed to serve educational and cultural purposes, including the showcasing of artifacts and historical documents that chronicle the establishment of the ROC, the military’s efforts to safeguard the country,     [FULL  STORY]

Mao demands clear line between duty and leisure for military

Want China Times
Date: 2015-10-21
By: CNA

Taiwan’s premier, Mao Chi-kuo, said Tuesday that a clear line should be

Mao Chi-kuo, right, at the Legislature, Oct. 20. (Photo/CNA)

Mao Chi-kuo, right, at the Legislature, Oct. 20. (Photo/CNA)

drawn between duty and leisure amid reports that a lapse of discipline was seen during an ROC Navy training mission in May.

Media reports said the Kidd-class destroyer, the Navy’s most powerful vessel, was turned into a “sport boat” in May, when the commander of the destroyer allowed a petty officer to fish from the deck, from where he landed a big marlin.

Legislator Wu Yu-jen of the ruling Kuomintang said that military personnel should make completing their missions a priority. But he also noted that life at sea can be boring and that finding ways to enhance leisure activities for military personnel without compromising their duty is important.     [FULL  STORY]

Warships rarely use AIS: navy officials

NOT-SO-SECRET MISSION:A port official said a new vessel could be tracked on the AIS Web site, while there were reports of deep-sea fishing aboard another warship

Taipei Times
Date:  Oct 21, 2015
By: Jason Pan  /  Staff reporter

Navy Command Headquarters yesterday said that the nation’s warships normally do not use the Automatic Identification System (AIS), except under exceptional conditions, adding that the nation’s newly commissioned Panshih (磐石) supply vessel has now turned off its AIS.

Navy officials made the remarks in response to a port official who said that it is worrying for the nation’s maritime security that ship captains are not aware of the dangers of their vessels’ positions being exposed when conducting missions at sea.

The official, who had retired from the navy and declined to be named, said that he was able to daily follow the nearshore voyage of the Panshih, which sailed from Zuoying Naval Base for the coastal waters around Kaohsiung.

He said he was able to track the AOE 532 Panshih, a fast combat support ship displacing 20,000 tonnes, because it was using AIS, which has an electronic signal to help identify and locate vessels, which allows other ships and port authorities to navigate and regulate marine traffic to avoid collisions.     [FULL  STORY]

Damage to frigate downplayed by navy

Taipei Times
Date: Oct 16, 2015
By: Jason Pan  /  Staff reporter

Military officials downplayed damage done to a naval frigate when it ran

Coast Guard Administration patrol vessel Tainan sails in waters off the Pratas Islands on Sept. 17. Photo courtesy of the Coast Guard Administration

Coast Guard Administration patrol vessel Tainan sails in waters off the Pratas Islands on Sept. 17. Photo courtesy of the Coast Guard Administration

aground while sailing out of Zuoying Port (左營港) in Kaohsiung, scuttling its mission to the Spratly Islands (Nansha Islands, 南沙群島) in the South China Sea.

The incident occurred last week, but details only emerged after Minister of National Defense Kao Kuang-chi (高廣圻) was questioned in the legislature over the past two days.

According to military officials, the Tzu I struck a concrete breakwater to the south of the Zuoying naval base section on the evening of Tuesday last week.

The 4,100-tonne Tzu I with the Magong Port-based (馬公) 146th Fleet is the fifth of eight Taiwan-built Cheng Kung-class frigates based on the Oliver Hazard Perry-class of US frigates.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan still hoping for delivery of Perry-class frigates: MND

Foxcus Taiwan
Date: 2015/10/14
By: Lu Hsin-hui and Lilian Wu

Taipei, Oct. 14 (CNA) Taiwan is still hoping to take delivery of two U.S.

140108-N-MJ645-059 MAYPORT, Fla. (Jan. 8, 2014) The guided-missile frigate USS Taylor (FFG 50) departs Naval Station Mayport for a seven-month deployment to the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of responsibility. This is Taylor's final deployment as the ship is scheduled to be decommissioned in 2015. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Marcus L. Stanley/Released)

140108-N-MJ645-059
MAYPORT, Fla. (Jan. 8, 2014) The guided-missile frigate USS Taylor (FFG 50) departs Naval Station Mayport for a seven-month deployment to the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of responsibility. This is Taylor’s final deployment as the ship is scheduled to be decommissioned in 2015. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Marcus L. Stanley/Released)

Perry-class frigates next year, said Defense Minister Kao kuang-chi (高廣圻) on Wednesday, amid reports that the sale is in limbo and the ships already decommissioned.

Kao said at a legislative hearing that the ministry is hoping to get a letter of offer and acceptance for the frigates by the end of the year and send Navy officers to take delivery of the Perry-class frigates next year.

He added that the military has already inspected the frigates, and they are in fairly good condition, but Kao acknowledged that there have been delays, which he attributed to difficulties in coordination between the executive and legislative branches in the United States.     [FULL  STORY]

Smartphone ban for Army conscripts to be lifted in November

Taiwan News
Date: 2015-10-14
By: Ko Lin, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

The nation’s Army personnel will be able to use smartphones in military

Smartphone ban for Army conscripts to be lifted. Central News Agency

Smartphone ban for Army conscripts to be lifted. Central News Agency

bases effective November 1, Kuomintang Legislator Lin Yu-fang pointed out Wednesday during legislative session in Taipei.

“The lifting of smartphone ban will benefit an estimated 38,000 active army conscripts in the next two years,” he said.

The Minister of National Defense (MND) Kao Kuang-chi said he hopes the initiative will further cover all branches of the nation’s armed forces in the future, and that the privilege to use smartphones for conscript soldiers can be completely lifted, as it was with the career military.

“There are still officers within the all-voluntary force who oppose the idea of smartphone usage in base camps,” Lin said, urging Kao to spend time to talk to his subordinates as base camp officers have been known to reprimand soldiers despite the relaxation of rules.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan’s Apaches to be displayed on open day in Kaohsiung

Want China Times
Date: 2015-10-14
By: CNA

People interested in seeing Taiwan’s most advanced attack helicopter, the

An Apache helicopter fires a rocket during a drill in southern Taiwan, Aug. 27. (Photo courtesy of Ministry of National Defense)

An Apache helicopter fires a rocket during a drill in southern Taiwan, Aug. 27. (Photo courtesy of Ministry of National Defense)

AH-64E Apache, will have a chance to do so later this month, when the military will hold an open day at one of its bases, the country’s Ministry of National Defense said Tuesday.

The helicopters will be among the military aircraft, equipment and vehicles to be put on display Oct. 24 at Tsoying Naval Base in the southern city of Kaohsiung for public viewing, according to ministry spokesperson Major General Luo Shou-he.

In addition to the Apaches, visitors will get a glimpse of the UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter recently acquired from the United States, he said. Some of the Navy’s vessels will be opened to the public for a tour, he added.

Demonstrations of combat skills will also be staged on the open day, Luo said.

The event is one of five open days at different military bases this year in an effort to strengthen exchanges between the military and the public.     [FULL  STORY]

2,200 US fighters needed to defeat PLA attack on Taiwan by 2017

Want China Times
Date: 2015-10-14
By: Staff Reporter

By the year 2017, it will take the United States about 2,200 fighters, a full

One of the first 12 F-22 Raptors lands at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii on Feb. 7, 2007. (Photo courtesy of USAF)

One of the first 12 F-22 Raptors lands at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii on Feb. 7, 2007. (Photo courtesy of USAF)

two-thirds of its Air Force, to defeat an aerial invasion launched by the PLA against Taiwan, according to a report by the Santa Monica-based think tank RAND Corporation.

While the US Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps together have a larger advanced fighter fleet than their PLA counterparts, China enjoys the geographic advantage. Such geographic and situational factors favor China in nearly all Asian conflict scenarios and allow Beijing to challenge US air power in the Far East without the need to have as many advanced fighters as Washington.

To defeat a potential Chinese aerial offensive against Taiwan, the United States would need to deploy 30 fighter wings to the Western Pacific. Such an attrition campaign against the PLA Air Force and Navy Air Force would be unsustainable for the US.     [FULL  STORY]