SNOOPING:Hiring non-military personnel to work in the planned agency’s defense projects would increase the risk of espionage, DPP Legislator Liu Shih-fang said

Taipei Times
Date: Oct 25, 2016
By: Chen Wei-han / Staff reporter

A plan to establish a local version of the US’ Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) at the Ministry of National Defense was criticized yesterday during a legislative review, as lawmakers from across party lines said the plan would overlap with existing defense ministry functions and increase the risk of data leaks.

The ministry plans to establish a “defense science department” next year, which would be expanded to a “Taiwanese DARPA” one year later if the department operates smoothly, Department of Resources Planning Director Chen Cheng-chi (陳正棋) said during a question-and-answer session at the legislature’s Foreign and National Defense Committee.

The “Taiwanese DARPA” would direct the research, development and application of military technology by recruiting and partnering with professionals from non-military sectors in a bid to commercialize defense technology as part of the government’s goal to produce domestic aircraft and combat vessels, Chen said.    [FULL  STORY]