MISTAKEN AND MISLEADING:The Ministry of National Defense rejected allegations by a former commander, saying the Hsiung Feng III does not have a launch key
Taipei Times
Date: Jul 04, 2016
By: Staff writer, with CNA
The Ministry of National Defense on Saturday issued a detailed news release to debunk a
Coast Guard Administration personnel watch as a Taoist priest accompanies relatives of Huang Wen-chung — a fishing boat captain who was killed when a Hsiung Feng III missile hit his vessel — at Singda Harbor in Kaohsiung yesterday. Photo: CNA
string of conspiracy theories surrounding the launch of a missile on Friday last week, that resulted in the death of a Taiwanese fisherman and three injuries.
The release started by asking how a noncommissioned officer could be allowed to “do it alone” without receiving the consent of his superiors.
The ministry said the warship’s commander, senior arms officer and missile launch control sergeant had all failed to follow standard operating procedure before the sailor chose the wrong operation mode, committing a series of disciplinable mistakes that resulted in the historic fiasco.
The ministry said it had learned a tough lesson from the mishap, adding that from next week, it would enforce stricter training programs for all military units, particularly in the area of standard operating procedures, to prevent a similar incident from occurring. [FULL STORY]
